Headaches 

Headaches have various causes. The musculo-skeletal system is often involved

because of tension, strain and imbalance the neck shoulders and upper back.

Mental and emotional tension translates directly into muscular tension. Tense muscles cause stiff joints and together they can cause pain, notably in the neck, shoulders and headaches.

Headaches can also be caused by

•      Hormonal imbalance – headaches or migraines associated with the menstrual cycle.

•      Eyestrain.

•      Dehydration – the most famous of these is the hangover.

•      TMJ strain, that is where your jaw joins your head.

•      Some types of medications, some foods e.g. red wine , beer mature cheese, chocolate, citrus fruit, preservatives – especially in processed meats and aspartame, and artificial sweeteners (yuk).

•      Low blood sugar level.

•      Impact trauma.

•      Infection such as the flu.

•      Vigorous exercise especially when you're unfit or on very hot days. 

•      High blood pressure can cause a headache, classically on waking in the morning, so get your blood pressure checked if this is you.

•      Cluster headaches are very severe headaches that occur in clusters of days, weeks or months then disappear for months at a time when there are no headaches at all.

•      An aneurysm is a weakness in a blood vessel wall. If pressure gets too high it will tear or burst. If this happens in your head it causes a severe headache out of the blue, akin to being kicked in the head with a steel capped boot. If this happens get to a hospital immediately.

•      Low levels of magnesium and vitamin B12 can also cause headaches

•      Some people with stressful jobs get headaches on weekends. These are called rebound headaches, they ruin the weekend and are generally gone by Monday am. Deal with these by managing your stress better.

•      Sinus problems can give sufferers headaches 

Bad or persistent headaches may also be indicative of a significant underlying problem with your spine, spinal cord or brain. If this is you, go and get it checked out by your osteopath or doctor.

If you get recurring headaches and have it medically checked out to no avail, keep a journal of when you get them, what you were doing beforehand, what you’ve eaten in the previous 12 hours, stress levels. You see patterns emerge that help you figure it out.

Migraines are generally severe headaches that are associated with nausea, sometimes vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, perhaps tingling in an arm or leg, and usually mild visual disturbances such as sparkles, flashes or dulling of peripheral vision. They typically occur on one side of the head.

Mystery

Some headaches defy diagnosis – they can never be adequately explained.

Tension

The ‘tension’ in tension headache refers to  muscular tension imbalance and strain in the upper back and neck.

Commonly the pain is felt across the base of the skull &/or across the forehead.

They are made worse by stress, poor posture, especially sitting improperly in a chair all day at work, or slobbing too long in a lounge that offers little or no postural support (which is most of them), half an hour or more at a time in your car, poor muscle tone.  

Release

Release the tension imbalance and strain from your muscles and joints to get rid of the pain. Simple really but it does require some changes and a small but sustained effort.

Head to toes

The upper half of your body depends to a large extent on how the lower half is working  Problems with the legs pelvis and lower back very often translate into problems higher up which may contribute to headaches. If you see an osteopath, masseur or chiropractor for headaches make sure they check you from head to toe

Kyphosis

The forward bend of your upper back is called a kyphosis, if this curve increases it throws your head forward in front of your centre of gravity. This means your upper back and shoulders and neck work harder to keep you upright and looking straight ahead. This stiffens your muscles and jams your joints up and is a common cause of headaches.

Just lucky

Mind you not everyone with a stiff neck and shoulders and misaligned vertebrae get headaches. In susceptible individuals headaches can be triggered quite easily by mild or moderate strain imbalance and tension. Conversely some people just are not prone to headaches and can have major back and neck strain and not get headaches at all.

I've even had a few patients who tell me they have never had a headache! 

Relax

Learning how to relax, good posture, stretching, exercising and having massage &/or manipulation can all make a big difference to tension headaches.

Drugs

These are of course the mainstay of headache relief. Over the counter painkillers and anti inflammatories are often very effective at getting rid of headaches, but if you are using them more than occasionally, you should seek help to find out what is causing them in the first place. 

Osteopathy

Osteopaths regularly treat people with chronic or recurring headaches. Usually, but not always, with great success. We can only help people whose headaches are caused by some biomechanical strain. Fortunately, this is most of them.

Neck strain and restricted movement is the most common, but upper back stiffness is usually involved and lower back and pelvic stiffness and imbalance often causes problems higher up. Remember, everything is connected to everything else.

Walk in with Walk out without

Very often people walk in for treatment with a headache and walk out without it.

I always give people stretches to do to manage the problems that are causing the headache in the longer term. We are interested in treating the cause, not just the symptom.

Stretch and Exercise

Stretching and exercising are a very effective way of dealing with stress and tension related headaches. We live in a fairly sedentary culture so if you are not getting enough stretching and exercise, say, 3 times a week, at least, that's normal, but it's not good enough. It could well be contributing to your headaches as well as a whole raft of other aches and pains and other medical problems like high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes and heart problems. The answer to many of these problems is simple - get fitter, stronger and more flexible.