Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are rare headaches that often occur in groups or clusters and are frequently associated with drooping eyelids, red, watery eyes and nasal congestion on the affected side of the face. This is also characterized by severe headaches of piercing quality near one eye or temple that last for between fifteen minutes to three hours.
Victims of this condition do not only feel an intense pain, but also experience disabling effects and impacts on emotions, marriage, finances and other obligations at school or work. This also diminishes the quality of the patient's life, that is why one should find a remedy and undergo treatment as early as possible.

Migraine Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Migraine Headaches and Chiropractic Care

Migraine headaches affect millions of people on a daily basis. Females are affected twice as often as males and headaches usually begin around the onset of puberty but can vary. There does seem to be a genetic predisposition in families especially seen in females in a family. This category of headaches is typically broken down into to subcategories: Migraine headaches accompanied by an aura (Classical Migraine), and those without an aura (Common Migraines). Common migraines constitute the overall majority of migraine sufferers with about 80% of the cases whereas classical migraine sufferers make up the minority with about 20% of the cases. Most people commonly associate an aura with a migraine when discussing these headaches but it is not the norm statistically.
The aura leads up to the headache and is a nervous system reaction that typically involves the sensory system. Auras can be visual, auditory, sensory, and even motor. The most common visual aura is a visual change known as a scintillating scotoma which appears as a hazy spot in the central field of gaze followed by a patterned light that expands. The second most common aura is the pins and needles sensory feeling called paresthesia that can start in the hands or feet and radiate upward through the limbs to the face. Other common associated conditions include sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia). The pain associated with the headache itself is usually graded as moderate to severe and is usually described as throbbing. The most common location for the pain is the frontal and temporal regions of the skull and in the area of the eyes but it can vary per case. The pain is typically one sided or unilateral and will build over the course of a few hours to become widespread and diffuse. The pain can last any where from 1-2 hours to more than a day depending on the severity of the episode. Nausea, vomiting, pallor, clamminess, and muscle aches can accompany the migraine as well.

3 Headache Types

3 Headache Types

* Migraine Headaches - 25% of all headaches experienced by people are migraines and most are experienced by women. Migraines tend to have a genetic element with over 70% of sufferers having a history of having migraines in their families. The pain itself is often described as a deep, throbbing sensation which is very intense and normally it affects one side of the head. It can be incapacitating and may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, a numbness to the side of the face and a sensitivity to light, movement and noise. Migraines are unpredictable, they may last anything from four hours to two or three days and may occur a few times a week to some people or only once every couple of years to others.
* Cluster Headaches - A sudden, sharp excruciating pain is often associated with cluster headaches which usually occur at night. This pain is usually felt just behind the eye and may be accompanied by a feeling of nausea. The sufferer's nose may also feel blocked and start to run and their eyes may start to weep from the side. Men suffer this type of headache more often than women, and although it's not known for certain what causes these headaches smokers and those that drink heavily tend to be more prone to them.
* Tension Headaches - Tension headaches are the most common of all these headaches as they occur in 70% of all instances. 69% of men will experience tension headaches at some point in their lifetime. Compared to the other to headache types the pain of a tension headache is described as mild to moderate and may last from 30 minutes to anything up to a week. The pain is difficult to pinpoint and can be felt right through the head rather than one particular area.

Concussion Symptoms - Headache, Drowsy, Confusion, Loss of Consciousness

Concussion Symptoms - Headache, Drowsy, Confusion, Loss of Consciousness

Diagnosis of a concussion will be based on observation of the aforementioned symptoms following trauma to the head and possibly an evaluation by a physician. The evaluation may include a physical exam, x-rays, and a CT scan or MRI of the head or neck. Additional test may be ordered including an EEG (brain wave test) if seizures are involved, blood tests or analysis of cerebrospinal fluids.
Treatment will depend on the extend of the injury. First aid may be required if the injury is recent. Do not attempt to move a patient if neck or spine injury is suspected. Have the patient lie down quietly. A cold compress may be used to alleviate pain present in the head or neck. The patient should be observed (at a hospital if the condition is severe) for a least 24 hours following injury.