Headaches are a common problem in the United States. They can range from a small annoyance to a major debilitating issue which can lead to issues at work and home. There are three major categories of headaches which are tension, migraine, and cluster headaches.
Tension headaches are experienced by 80-90% of the population each year. These headaches can be episodic or chronic. An episodic tension headache occurs 14 times or less per month over a three-month period and a chronic tension headache is 15 times or more per month over a three-month period. Tension headaches are generally described as dull pain, tightness, or pressure around your forehead and neck areas.
Migraine headaches are experienced by 16-17% of the population. These headaches also can be found as episodic or chronic. Migraines attribute for around 157 million work hours missed each year. These headaches can also cause symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light.
Cluster headaches are experienced by less than 1% of the population and are by far the most rarely experienced headache. These headaches can last anywhere from hours to days. These headaches are usually on one side of the head where the pain is severe and they can be accompanied by nasal discharge or a red eye which can be accompanied by tearing.
All three of these headaches have many different possibly causes. Things like dehydration, poor eye sight, stress, whiplash injuries, or other spinal misalignments can all cause headaches. When experiencing a headache, the easiest possible problem to eliminate is dehydration. Just make sure you are drinking plenty of water. If you are stressed often you can try things like yoga or mediation to relax and calm your mind. This may help with your headaches. If you’ve been in an accident, it’s always important to get your spine checked out to check for whip lash injuries. Not only can this cause headaches, but it can cause a multitude of other problems including severe neck pain.
If you’re experiencing headaches and are tired of dealing with them. We encourage you to come into our office to sit down with one of our Doctors of Chiropractic and see how they can help you solve your headache problem.
