“Hi Susan, my name is Dr. Ian. How can I help you?”

“I don’t know if you can help, but I've had headaches for 27 years”

“That’s a long time. How many headaches do you have per month?”

“A lot”

“More than 15 per month?”

“I’ll put it this way, I tell my husband when I don’t have a headache because it’s so rare”

That’s a lot of headaches. Too many, if you ask me. Something wasn’t right. In this conversation, Susan (name changed for privacy reasons) claimed to have seen multiple other professionals: her Primary Care Physician, Allergist, EENT, and Neurologist. They all recommended dietary changes, exercise, and stress reduction. Even with these lifestyle changes, Susan saw no change in headache frequency and intensity. Little did she know that after this phone call, her life was about to get so much better with the help of NUCCA Chiropractic Care.

About 4% of the population suffers from chronic headaches, diagnosed as 15 or more headaches experienced per month. Migraines are the second leading cause of disability worldwide and costs US employers $13 billion annually in missed work days and loss of productivity. This statistic keeps increasing year after year which tells me that mainstream medicine doesn’t have a good grasp on how to treat these folks! One of the reasons for this is, for the most part, western medicine has overlooked a common cause of migraines and headaches: a misalignment in your upper cervical spine, or an Atlas Subluxation Complex. This was the case for my patient, “Susan”. Almost 3 decades of daily headaches and no one considered the potential of a problem in her upper cervical spine and that she ought to seek care from an upper cervical chiropractor. Her story isn’t unique, unfortunately, and I help people with years to decades of chronic headaches and migraines every single day. Today, you’ll learn about the 5 most common types of headaches and how NUCCA Chiropractic Care can help each type.

Greenville SC NUCCA Chiropractor Blog | Upper Cervical Chiropractor Near Me | 29615 Headache and Migraine Chiropractic Blog

The 5 most common types of headaches

Tension Headaches are described as having a dull, pressing, or a band-like tightening pain around your head. They are usually felt on both sides of your head simultaneously without any sensitivity to light or sound and no nausea or vomiting. Usually these headaches are accompanied by shoulder or neck tension/pain. These tight muscles create trigger points that refer pain into your head. Postural changes that are common to desk workers or driving professions (rounded shoulders, forward head posture, etc) often cause these neck and shoulder muscles to tighten up which can lead to tension headaches. NUCCA chiropractic can help improve overall posture, giving the muscles a chance to calm down, removing the trigger points, and reducing your headaches.
Migraine Headaches are complex conditions in which the exact mechanism isn’t well understood. There are also many different subtypes such that these headaches deserve a blog all on their own! Stay tuned. For the purposes of this blog, we will talk about the basics. There are typically 4 phases in migraine attacks:
1. The Prodrome - symptoms that occur 24 to 48 hours before the headache. These symptoms include, but are not limited to, neck stiffness, excessive yawning, mood changes, sensitivity to light and sound, and difficulty focusing your vision. About 77% of migraine sufferers experience these prodromal symptoms.
2. The Aura - fully reversible symptoms that last less than 60 minutes, is experienced by 25% of migraine sufferers, and can either precede a migraine headache or occur simultaneously with the headache. The most common form of aura is a visual change known as “scintillating scotoma” which is an area of absent vision with a shimmering or glittering zigzag border. Auras can also present as tingling on one side of your face or limbs. In very rare cases, Auras can present as complete or partial paralysis of 1 side of your face or limbs.
3. The Headache - It is often on one side of your head, generally with a pulsatile or throbbing feature, and increases in intensity within the first hours. The intensity can occur with nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and/or sound, increased perception of pain in other parts of your body, and excessive tearing. The headache can last from hours to days.
4. The Postdrome - usually lasts 1 to 2 days after the headache breaks. The most common symptom is exhaustion. As such, it can commonly be referred to as a “migraine hangover”. Some migraine patients experience pain with fast motions in the exact location of the previous headache.
  [The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th phases are all characterized by blood flow changes to the brain and brainstem. This is why NUCCA Chiropractic Care can be such a game changer for migraine sufferers! Recent studies have shown restoration of normal blood and cerebrospinal fluid into the brain and brainstem following alignment of the upper cervical spine. Not only can a proper upper cervical adjustment reduce the symptoms of an active migraine attack, but ensuring your upper cervical spine is stabilized in the proper position can prevent these blood flow changes from happening in the first place, therefore reducing the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.]

3. Cervicogenic Headache typically stems from pain in the upper neck/base of the skull (the suboccipital region) that will radiate into the forehead, temple, and/or behind the eye on the same side of the upper neck pain. There is usually no sensitivity to light or sound and can often be associated with decreased range of motion in the neck. There can also be shoulder or arm pain on the same side of the headache and the head pain can increase with certain neck movements. How NUCCA can help with this type of headache is more straightforward. The cause of these headaches is typically a dysfunction of the upper neck between C1 and C3. NUCCA chiropractors seek to restore normal function of your upper neck. Therefore, patients who experience these types of headaches typically respond quickly through the course of NUCCA Chiropractic Care.

4. Cluster Headaches are characterized by 10 out of 10 pain on one side of your head, usually behind or just above your eye. Patients describe these headaches as “non-fluctuating and explosive” in quality. A key component of cluster headaches is the presence of at least one autonomic symptom (symptom relating to the autonomic nervous system). These are:

Bloodshot eyes or excessive tearing

Nasal congestion or runny nose

Swollen eyelid, forehead or face

Droopy eyelid or excessive pupil constriction

Light and sound sensitivity is often present but only on the same side as the pain

Cluster Headache attacks can last 15 minutes to 3 hours and can occur up to 8 times per day. Typically cluster headache attacks will occur for weeks to months followed by a period of remission for months to years. The exact cause is not quite clear, but it is clear that a major factor is Autonomic Nervous System dysregulation. The Autonomic Nervous system in this region is mostly mediated by the Vagus Nerve which runs right in front of the transverse process of C1 (once again, enter NUCCA!). Therefore, improper positioning and motion of the C1 vertebra can disrupt proper function of the Vagus Nerve.

5. Sinus Headaches are much more well known and are caused by inflamed or clogged sinuses. Usually they are characterized by a pressure pain in your forehead or cheek bones and are accompanied by nasal congestion. The headache can get worse when one bends forward and hangs his or her head. Often these types of headaches accompany seasonal allergies. These allergies can be from an overactive immune system. As the immune system is controlled and modulated by the autonomic nervous system, NUCCA chiropractic may indirectly help reduce the intensity of one's allergies by improving the balance of their autonomic nervous system.

After about 8 weeks of NUCCA chiropractic care, Susan went from having 6-7 moderate to severe headaches per week to 1-2 mild headaches per month. She was even able to allow her bottle of ibuprofen to expire.

Do you know someone like Susan? Are you a “Susan”? We would love to connect with you and get you on the path towards a healthier, more vibrant you. It is not too late. There is hope. You may find answers with an Upper Cervical Chiropractor.