We all have that friend who keeps a couple of Panadol on them ‘just in case’. My better half always has a packet in her handbag. It’s the ‘go to’ for dealing with niggling headaches so you can get on with the million tasks to do each day.
You only have to look at the “Panadol” website to see how heavily they market their product to deal with headaches. It’s the first two symptoms listed..
Headaches
Migraines (which are just a type of headache).
For some,
Dealing with the pain from headaches is a constant battle…
The ache sitting behind your eyes
The band of pressure around your skull
That feeling someone is driving a nail into your temple.
Okay, so the last one is on the more extreme side. But I’m sure you can imagine the feeling. It’s definitely not what you want to put up with.
Over the years, I’ve been able to help all types of people suffering headaches. Of all the patients, there’s one which really stands out…
As they say:
”you never forget your first”
Having suffered almost-daily headaches for over 10 years he’d all but given up. Everything he had tried seemed to help a little bit. But without fail it would come back. I don’t know exactly why, but he was sure I was the last option he had.
No pressure!
As much as I just wanted to help the guy, I knew the processes to follow. Before I could provide any effective treatment…
Step 1 – Figure Out The Type of Headache
Not as simple as you might think.
There are so many types of headaches. Each with their own category and multiple sub-categories. So extensive is the list, the International Headache Society, compiled it into an almost-200 page document.
For most people, this is slight over-the-top, but for clinicians the differences between headaches are subtle and important.
So which type is it?
Time for interrogation…
On top of the usual medical history questions, it’s also critical to look at lifestyle.
“Do you sleep well?”
‘better after a few beers’
“How long do you usually sleep”
“About 4 hours a night. Sometimes a little bit more, sometimes a little bit less.”
“How much water do you drink a day?”
‘maybe a bottle’
“What colour is your urine usually?”
‘slightly yellow’
“How do you cope with your stress?”
‘not well’
“What’s your diet lie?”
‘okay but could be better’
Sleep, Water Intake, Stress and Nutrition
Essential to working out why headaches affect some of us and not others
Back to the story…
Based on probability, it was likely to be one of the common types of headaches:
The Three Common Types of Headaches
Migraines Tension-Type Cervicogenic
Have their own specific set of criteria.
Characteristically, they are one-sided pulsating headaches, associated with a sensitivity to light and noise
Sometimes you can get a kind of visual disturbance, balance disruption, dizziness, or hearing changes.
They often last from 4 – 72 hours, and you won’t like it if you try to exercise them away.
Tension-Type
Pressing tightening feelings around your skull, like you’re wearing a cap three sizes too small.
They usually linger around from 30 minutes to 7 days.
Exercise can help ease these headaches, and there can sometimes be noise and light sensitivity.
Cervicogenic
Cervicogenic is a medical term that be translated to ‘coming from the neck’.
The Headache Society specifies that there has to be a time-relationship of trauma to the neck present.
This can include whiplash disorders, poor handstand push up technique, or bops of the head.
After learning my patient had been involved in a high speed car accident, along with some lifestyle issues, it was clearly a cervicogenic headache. I confirmed this through various tests for neck function and control.
Targeted treatment along with simple rehabilitation exercises to improve function and we had control of the headaches for the first time in 10 years!
I think I was almost as excited as he was….
Since this ‘first time’ I’ve treated a huge array of headaches. Whilst the type and range has varied greatly, it’s the same,
3 Step Process To Treat Any Headache
Detailed medical history including lifestyle
Assessment to provide or confirm a diagnosis
Treat and manage
If you deal with headaches on a regular basis don’t wait 10 years to get treatment. Panadol will help with some short term relief but it doesn’t compare to finding and then treating the cause.
Just call the clinic and one of the team will be there to help you. It’s a condition we all treat regularly with good success.
PS. If you have a friend or family member always complaining to you about their headaches we’d love to help make a difference to them (and inadvertently you as well).