Ugh… My Head!
Ugh… My Head!
By Shane Sauer
Have you ever had a headache?
Silly question, right? For one reason or another, almost everyone will experience headaches in their lifetime.
If you’re lucky enough to have never experienced anything but the mildest of headaches, you might not know about the different types of headaches:
Secondary - These happen as a result of something else you’ve done. Just think of hangovers or concussions.
Tension - These are the most common. They are generally mild to moderate and typically feel like pressure around the head. Activity usually leaves them unchanged or even makes them better. Stress is one of the biggest causes.
Cluster - These are excruciating. Fortunately, very few people suffer from them. They center behind one eye or temple and cause redness and swelling. They are caused by a problem with the Trigeminal Nerve (more on that later).
Migraine - These are the viscous middle; much more common than Cluster and a lot more painful than Tension. They are often a throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head, and get worse with activity. For some, they come with an Aura, a preceding symptom like light/sound sensitivity or nausea.
Now that you know about the different types, it’s important to know what causes headaches so you can begin to defeat them!
The three most important headache culprits are:
Trigeminal Nerve - This was mentioned above. It is the nerve responsible for pain sensations in the head. It is highly integrated with other structures including the…
Meninges - These 3 layers of tissue separate the brain and the skull. The brain has no ability to feel pain, but the meninges do!
Greater Occipital Nerve - This sensory nerve is one of the largest in the body. It runs through the muscles of the neck and interacts with the Trigeminal Nerve.
Now that you know more than you ever wanted to about headaches, you’re primed to believe me when I tell you about some novel treatments. Be sure to check next week’s blog!
In the meantime, if you suffer from headaches and can’t wait until then, just send a message with “HELP, my head hurts!”
I’ll get back to you and we’ll discuss your problem to identify what might work best for you.