HEADACHE

Over a year, it is estimated that 90% of the population get at least 1 headache. About 16-17% of the population get a migraine headache sometime in their life.

HEADACHE

Headache or Migraine

Headaches and migraines can not only be inconvenient but disruptive to your life but also to your family and friends.

Pain in your head may not just be due to migraine, it can have many causes. Correct management and treatment is based on your doctor’s diagnosis. Accurately diagnosis leads to better treatment.

At Olympic Sport Therapy, we will assist your diagnosis and develop a treatment plan to manage your headache or migraine pain. We have an interest in headache and migraine disorders. Focusing on jaw headache and neck headache.

There is a small amount of people unfortunately that have a very serious reason for migraines and headache. These can be aneurysm, meningitis, brain tumors and other systemic illness. Seek the advice of your doctor.

At one time any headache that was a throbbing pain, it was thought was involving blood vessels and classified as a migraine. A headache that was not throbbing was considered a tension type headache.

Knowledge has improved about sources of a headache. Sources of headache pain is divided into three categories. Research shows there is over 300 causes of headache and migraine pain:

Neck Headache(Cervicogenic Headache)
Tension Type Headache
Migraine

Below are the three headache sources used to determine the kind of headache you have and how to treat it most effectively.

Co-Existing Headache-Migraine Types

It is possible to suffer with one or two types of headache / migraine pain.

One type of headache or migraine may be causing another. For example, muscular tension can be caused by neck pain. An increase in blood pressure can happen. In this situation you will be suffering from a neck headache, tension headache and a migraine.

It is best to assess the main source of the headache to find the most effective treatment.

Headache Primary or Secondary

It has been estimated there are over 300 sources of migraine and headache. Most are tension-type, neck headache and migraine. All three of these headaches can happen at one time.

Headaches that are not caused by any other source other than migraines, cluster headaches or tension headaches are classified as Primary headaches

Headaches that are caused by another source such as neck headache or post whiplash are classified as Secondary headaches. Secondary headaches may need to be treated differently by treating the source rather than the headache symptoms.

Headaches from more than one source

Many headache sufferers may experience multi-source headaches. Someone with migraine pain may be experiencing a neck headache as well as tension type headaches. This is treated differently depending on the source.

The Importance of Correct Diagnosis

Success of treatment is dependent on a correct diagnosis. Tension type, cluster or neck headaches may not be eased with migraine medication. Neck treatments will only ease the pain of that component, not the migraine.

Common Causes of Headaches or Migraine

Cluster Headaches
Facet Joint Pain
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
Migraine
Muscle Strain (Muscle Pain)
Neck Headache
Pinched Nerve
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Spondylosis (Spine Arthritis)
Tension Headache
TMJ Dysfunction
Whiplash

RED FLAGS concerning Headaches!

You MUST thoroughly investigate any Red Flags!

If you have any of the following characteristics see your doctor immediately for treatment:

Different or new type headache to your normal type.

“Thunderclap” type headache.

“worst headache ever”!

Neurological complications e.g. memory loss, motor weakness.
After the age of 50, a new type of headache.
Systemic symptoms associated with headache e.g. fever, weight loss.

If you experience any of these “red flags” tell your sport therapist and call your doctor right away.

Definition:

A headache involves pain in the head which can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself.

There are three types of primary headaches: tension-type (muscular contraction headache), migraine (vascular headaches), and cluster.Virtually everyone experiences a tension-type headache at some point. An estimated 18% of American women suffer migraines,compared to 6% of men. Cluster headaches affect fewer than 0.5% of the population, and men account for approximately 80% of all cases.