Gresham Chiropractor

What we refer to as headaches may occur very frequently in various areas of the head like for example behind the head, in the upper neck or ears. In addition, headaches are usually not taken as a sickness, but rather a symptom of another sickness. There are many causes of headaches and these may also differ from one individual to another. Furthermore, as sometimes the treatment is difficult, it is important to correctly diagnose the cause of headache.

Categorizing the headache is the first step that should be taken before attempting to treat the condition. There are several methods to classify headaches although the most well known method was introduced by the International Headache Society. According to this classification method, there are three major types of headaches and each type has different causes of headaches.

Primary causes of headache are one of the main types of headaches and could be further classified as tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches. In tension headaches, the major cause of headache is physical or mental stress. It is said that almost 90% of all adults would experience tension headaches in their lives. Furthermore, women are more prone to tension headaches than men. Migraine headaches are also a common type of headache with nearly 12% of the US population (around 28 million people) experiences this form of headache. Cluster headaches which affects only 0.1% of the people are somewhat uncommon though both these types tend to be experienced fairly frequently by most people. The precise reason of headache in both migraine related and cluster headaches has not yet been identified. None of those mentioned above however are fatal.

Although the cause of headache in primary headaches might not be life threatening, secondary headaches may signal a far more dangerous situation. Secondary headaches normally occur due to underlying diseases such as brain tumors, meningitis, encephalitis and stroke. Therefore, it is imperative that one seeks medical attention when one shows headache associated symptoms such as seizures, continuing nausea and vomiting, and vision, speech and behavior changes. Another serious type of a headache is referred to as cranial neuralgia where swollen nerves in the head and neck tends to the reason for the headache. In addition to this, facial pains and other various headaches are also incorporated into this category.

It’s very important that the you visit your physician if the headache persists in a severe manner though you might be able to get some relief in the short term through painkilling drugs like asprin or paracetamol. In addition, the painkilling drugs including paracetamol should be used in the recommended quantities as an overdose might have negative effects such as heavy liver damage which would sometimes prove to be life threatening.