Specific Types of Headaches
We’ve been treating headaches for more than twenty years
More than half of Australians don’t consider headaches to be serious enough to seek help. Don’t be one of them…
Woken up with a headache? You’re not alone. It is estimated that up to 7 million Australians suffer from headaches, and a staggering 1 in 20 adults in the developed world gets them every day. Studies have shown that over 23% of households in Australia contain one person who suffers from severe headaches. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
Headaches are one of the most common illnesses in Australia, with around 15 per cent of us taking painkillers for a headache at any given time. Because headaches are so common, most people think they are a normal part of life. However, a persistent headache is a sign that something is wrong.
The continual use of pain medication to combat headaches is like removing the warning light that alerts you to a problem in your car! Medication doesn’t solve your headache, it simply offers a short term solution to reduce the pain.
One of the triggers is known to be stress, something many Aussies—4.9 million, if we are to go by a 2017 Medibank survey—are familiar with. And it should be no surprise that lack of sleep, work and financial pressures are right up there as the top issues that play on our minds.
Tension-type headaches can occur daily, and worsen during the evening. Typically, the symptoms include dull and persistent pain; tightness or a compressing feeling on the head; restriction and tightness of neck movements; and pressure between the eyes.
Of course, there are other types of headaches too, including migraines, sinus and cluster headaches. Each has its own symptoms and can be debilitating in its own way. Regardless of the type, there is no doubt headaches have a very definite impact on family life, school and work. Studies of 30,000 people in the United States found that 51 per cent reported they were less than half as productive as usual when suffering from headaches, and approximately 31 per cent had missed a day at work or school in the previous month.
However your headache manifests itself, one of our practitioners at Northern Spinal & Sports Injury Clinic can help you. In our experience, the most important aspect of managing any headache is performing the correct diagnosis, and we’ll take the time to identify the root cause of yours—just as we have for the thousands of people we’ve been treating over the last twenty years.
From there, we’ll recommend a treatment and work with you to eliminate the underlying cause, whether it’s related to muscle tension and overuse, posture, stress and anxiety, fatigue, or as a result of restricted neck or upper-back movement.