When suffering from headaches, it is firstly important to understand different types of headaches before establishing the best manage them. Did you know physiotherapists can be successfully treat headaches?
Types of common headaches
There are many different types of headache. Many of us are familiar with some form of the throbbing, uncomfortable, and distracting pain of a headache. There are different types of headaches. The common types of headaches include:.
- tension headache
- cluster headache
- migraine headache
What causes headaches?
Headaches are classified either as primary (occurring on their own) or secondary (resulting from another health problem).
Primary headaches can sometimes be triggered by lifestyle factors including:
- alcohol – particularly red wine
- certain foods – for example processed meats containing nitrates
- stress
- bad posture
- lack of sleep or changes in sleep patterns
- skipping meals
Conditions that can cause secondary headaches include problems with your:
- dehydration
- head injuries
- sinuses
- eyes – eye strain or glaucoma
- teeth / dental problems
- nerves – including conditions such as shingles
- blood vessels such as aneurysms or high blood pressure
- ear – for example middle ear infections
- medicines / medicine side effects
Symptoms differ depending on the type of headache.
Physio treated headaches
The most common types of headaches that physiotherapists will see during clinical practice are tension type headache (TTH), migraines and cervicogenic headache (CGH).
- Lifestyle and psychological intervention can be useful for migraines.
- Trigger point and manual therapy combined with exercise can be useful for tension-type headache
- Manual therapy can be useful for cervicogenic headache
- Caffeine reduction, weight loss and mindfulness are useful techniques for lifestyle modification
Source: Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA)
Title: Headaches
Time: 5 mins
Source: Health Direct
Title: Headaches
Time: 5 mins