Advanced Solutions: Headaches
Most Americans suffer from headaches at least once a year (90% of men and 95% of women). There are four types of headache: vascular, muscle contraction (tension), traction and inflammatory. The most common vascular headache is the migraine, with an estimated 28 million to 30 million sufferers nationwide. If you suffer from headache pain, Midwest Spinal Pain Institute in Kansas City, Missouri can help.
Women are most likely to get migraines.
After migraine, the most common type of vascular headache is the cluster headache, which causes repeated episodes of intense pain and is more likely to affect men.
Tension headaches involve the tightening of facial and neck muscles. Traction or inflammatory headaches are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection. Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as warning signals for more serious disorders.
The most common headaches we see are cervicogenic headaches. Cervicogenic headaches come from disorders in the neck. Such headaches are often caused by rapid neck movement (e.g. whiplash injury) or awkward head positioning. Symptoms include restricted range of motion, vague neck, shoulder or arm pain or, occasionally, radicular arm pain.
Whiplash injury affects ligaments, tendons and muscles. It is caused by abnormal motion or force that causes your neck to move beyond its normal range of motion. At Midwest Spinal Pain Institute, we specialize in complex and prolonged whiplash pain and symptoms.
Drug therapy, biofeedback training, stress reduction and elimination of certain foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing and controlling migraine and other vascular headaches. Regular exercise can also reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. Drug therapy for migraine is often combined with biofeedback and relaxation training.
Not all headaches require medical care. Many tension headaches can be treated with OTC medications but other headaches are signals of more serious disorders and need prompt medical attention.
These include sudden, severe headache or sudden headache from a stiff neck, headache associated with fever, convulsions, confusion or loss of consciousness, headaches following a blow to the head or a whiplash-type injury or associated with pain in the eye or ear, persistent headaches in someone who was previously headache-free and recurring headaches in children.
At Midwest Spinal Pain Institute, you’ll find the most advanced treatments for all kinds of headaches. Perhaps we can help with your headaches, too. Call us at (816) 420-8282 today!
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