Most Migraines are Headaches Too
Did you know that weakness of the neck muscles can cause neck pain and headaches? Weak muscle more readily develop triggerpoints which often refer to the head and neck causing pain, tightness, numbness and tingling, pressure, burning and a weak feeling.
What is a headache?
Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most
common locations of pain in the body and has many causes.
How are headaches classified?
Headaches have numerous causes, and in 2007 the International Headache Society
agreed upon an updated classification system
for headache. Because so many people
suffer from headaches, and because treatment is sometimes difficult, the new
classification system allows health care practitioners to understand a specific diagnosis
more completely to provide better and more effective treatment regimens.
There are three major categories of headaches:
- primary headaches,
- secondary headaches, and
- cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches
What are primary headaches?
Primary headaches include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, as well
as a variety of other less common types of headache.
Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache; as many as
90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches are
more common among women than men.
Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. An
estimated 28 million people in the United States (about 12% of the population)
will experience migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well
as adults. Before puberty,
boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty,
more women than men are affected. An estimated 6% of men and up to 18% of women
will experience a migraine headache.
Cluster headaches are a rare type of primary headache, affecting 0.1% of the
population. An estimated 85% of cluster headache sufferers are men. The average
age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years of age, although headaches may begin
in childhood.
Primary headaches affect quality of life. Some people have occasional
headaches that resolve quickly, while others are debilitated. Tension, migraine,
and cluster headaches are not life-threatening.
What are secondary headaches?
Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural
problem in the head or neck. There are numerous causes of this type of headache
ranging from bleeding in the brain, tumor, or
meningitis and encephalitis.
What are cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches?
Neuralgia means nerve pain (neur= nerve + algia=pain). Cranial neuralgia
describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and
upper neck become inflamed and are the source of the head pain.
Facial pain and
a variety of other causes for headache are included in this category.
What causes tension headaches?
While tension headaches are the most frequently occurring type of headache,
their cause is not known. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles
that cover the skull. When the muscles covering the skull are stressed, they may
spasm and cause pain. Common sites include the base of the skull where the
trapezius muscles of the neck inserts, the temple where muscles that assist the
jaw to move are located, and the forehead.
There is little research to confirm the exact cause of tension headaches.
Tension headaches occur because of physical or emotional stress placed on the
body. Physical stress that may cause tension headaches include difficult and
prolonged manual labor, or sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of
time Emotional stress may also cause tension headaches by causing the muscles
surrounding the skull to contract.
What are the symptoms of tension headaches?
The symptoms of tension headache are:
- A pain that begins in the back of the head and upper neck as a
band-like tightness or pressure.
- Described as a band
of pressure encircling the head with the most intense pain over the eyebrows.
- The pain is usually mild (not disabling) and bilateral
(affecting both sides of the head).
- Not associated with an
aura (see below) and are not associated with
nausea,
vomiting, or sensitivity to
light and sound.
- Usually occur sporadically (infrequently and
without a pattern) but can occur frequently and even daily in some people.
- Most
people are able to function despite their tension headaches.
What can I do to get relief from my headaches?
Treatment for headaches can very greatly depending on the practitioner who is diagnosing and treating the headache. Our physical therapists focus on determining the cause of the headache and treating that cause to decrease the pain.
Many people suffering from headaches remark that their head is too heavy for their neck. Could it be as simple as weak neck muscles? Most people with chronic headaches also have a weak neck. We are able to objectively evaluate your strength and range of motion and develop a treatment plan centered on alleviating symptoms and customizing a strengthening program tailored to your individual weaknesses.
Multi-cervical Strengthening
Did you know that your neck muscles can cause your headache and migraine pain? Trigger Point Dry Needling and IMT (intramuscular manual therapy) can alleviate pain and allow the muscles of the neck to rehab more effectively with less discomfort and more speed.
