Headache and Migraine Treatment Singapore – Causes, Symptoms & Remedies
If you have a headache, you are not alone! According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Headache Society (IHS), headaches are a global problem, affecting people of all races, income levels, and regional areas. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of all adults worldwide will experience a headache in any given year.¹
The global prevalence of headaches have risen, and is expected to continue doing so, partly due to a more sedentary population. This is particularly true in Singapore where a large demographic have desk bound jobs. Many more hours are spent in a fixed position or posture, such as prolonged sitting in front of a computer. This can lead to joint irritation and increased muscle tension in the neck and upper back, and contribute to headaches. Something simple like a bright screen, loud music, lack of water or other poor dietary habits can be triggers for one of these uncomfortable aches too.
Frequent or not, the discomfort caused by headaches is not something to ignore or endure since headaches can be debilitating, affecting productivity, ability to carry out routine activities of daily living, and interfering with lifestyle and social activities.
Any type of headache should be a cause for concern. However, there are certain situations where headaches may be indicative of a larger, more serious medical issue. Take note of your symptoms when a headache occurs and seek the help of a headache doctor or specialist. Doctors of Chiropractic or Chiropractors have extensive training in the identification of the type of headache you are suffering from and the appropriate headache and migraine treatment in Singapore.
Read more: How To Find A Trusted Chiropractor In Singapore?
Primary & secondary headaches
Headaches can be classified into two categories; primary and secondary. There are three forms of primary headaches; tension-type headaches, migraines and cluster headaches.
Primary headaches are when the headache itself is the primary health issue that the sufferer is dealing with. They tend to derive from overactivity and hypersensitivity associated with physiological problems in the neuromusculoskeletal structures of the face, head, neck and shoulder areas. On the other hand, secondary headaches are those that are caused by other underlying conditions or diseases. Common medical conditions linked to secondary headaches include disorders of the sinus, cervical spine, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), head trauma, concussion, stroke, brain tumor, medication overuse, drug and alcohol abuse.
What do you do when suffering from a debilitating headache? Are you able to tolerate it and carry on with activities of daily living or does it render you incapacitated necessitating rest. Do you rely on over-the-counter medications in an attempt to numb the pain? Fortunately, there is a better alternative that can provide you with a safe, natural and drug-free solution.
Read more: All You Need To Know About Chiropractic In Singapore
Chiropractic treatment of headaches
Chiropractic care is an effective way to manage and relieve pain caused by headaches. Chiropractic treatments for headaches commonly consist of spinal adjustments to aid the healing process. The goal is to correct joint restrictions in the spine in an effort to reduce any underlying inflammation, pressure or stress which are potential causes of your headache. By increasing joint mobility and function, thus improving your spinal health and alleviating the stress on your nervous system, your body is better able to manage the pain and facilitate the healing process.
Guidelines regarding the use of Chiropractic care for headaches have emerged, with more research studies currently underway. The headache types for which Chiropractic therapy is most often sought out are tension-type headaches, migraines, and cervicogenic headaches. Because the source of the problem is different, each of the conditions may respond differently to Chiropractic treatment.
Tension-type headaches
Tension-type headache is typically a diffuse, mild to moderate pain, which has mostly been described as feeling like a tight band around the head. This is the most common type of headache by far. Experts used to think that tension headaches stemmed from muscle contractions in the face, neck and scalp, perhaps as a result of heightened emotions, tension or stress. However, recent research suggests that muscular tension is not the source of the problem.
Causes of tension-type headaches
There appears to be several other contributing factors instead, with the most common theory citing a heightened sensitivity to pain in people who suffer from tension-type headaches. Increased muscle tenderness, a common symptom of tension-type headaches, may be a result from a sensitised central nervous system. Central sensitisation results from changes in how the nerves respond to painful or even non-noxious stimuli, in addition to changes in the brain’s interpretation of the pain signals sent from the muscles in the body. Emotional, physical, and mental stress are the most commonly reported triggers for tension headaches. Other triggers include fatigue, eye strain, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, jaw and dental problems.
Symptoms of tension-type headaches
Most people who experience tension-type headaches have episodic headaches. Episodic tension-type headaches can last from 30 minutes to a week, occurring less than 15 days a month for at least three months. Episodic tension-type headaches are often tied to stressful events. These headaches typically come on quickly, but also resolve once the stressful event is over.
If not managed properly, frequent episodic tension-type headaches may become chronic. Chronic tension-type headaches can recur daily, lasts hours and may be continuous. The muscles in your neck and shoulder tend to go into spasm, leading to a dull, aching tenderness in the area. A tightness or constricting pressure can develop on both sides of the head, in the forehead and at the back of the skull. This resultant irritability can cause trouble concentrating or difficulty sleeping.
Self-help remedies & chiropractic treatment of tension-type headaches
Fortunately, you can do a lot on your own to prevent or relieve tension-type headaches. Managing a tension headache is often a balance between fostering healthy habits and finding effective treatments for yourself. Unfortunately, many of us spend a large amount of time stagnated in one position due to occupational hazards. Hence, it is important to take frequent, periodic breaks throughout the day, especially from repetitive activities such as staring at the computer or phone. You can learn relaxation techniques, including deep breathing, yoga and meditation so as to empower yourself with ways to cope with stress and relieve tension. Gentle stretches and low impact exercises may also help to relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. Ensure you drink enough water throughout the day in order to avoid dehydration. In addition, clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth results in excess stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) in your jaw. This leads to TMJ irritation and a secondary, often underdiagnosed form of tension headaches. Therefore, consult a headache specialist, dentist or Chiropractor who is knowledgeable about TMJ disorders.
If your tension headaches do not go away after trying the suggestions above, it may be time to look at the psychological stress in your life. Work pressures, relationship stress and other life challenges can contribute to tension-type headaches. Hence, tension-type headaches may improve with a multidisciplinary approach that includes soft tissue therapy and stress management.
Migraines
Migraines tend to be recurring headaches that range from moderate to severe pain and can last between four hours to three days. Migraines are more prevalent in females than males.
Symptoms of migraines
According to The Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS), a headache can only be considered a migraine if there are at least two of the following known characteristics¹:
(i) intense throbbing or pulsating sensation on one side of the head;
(ii) nausea or vomiting;
(iii) increased sensitivity to light or sound; and/or;
(iv) symptoms that usually get worse with physical activity.²
Migraines manifest in different ways and may change over the course of your life. For example, some women experience a different migraine only during pregnancy. What sets a migraine apart from the common headache is the tendency to progress through the following stages:
Prodrome
In the early stages, pre-migraine warning signs may appear to indicate an upcoming migraine attack. The symptoms include neck stiffness, mood changes, fatigue, food cravings, increased thirst and constipation. This phase which may occur up to two days before the attack starts, serves as a warning of the impending and inevitable migraine attack.
Aura
For some people, auras might occur before or during migraines. Only 20% to 25% of people experience these reversible symptoms of the nervous system that precede the migraine, which often involve visual disturbances. A typical visual phenomena presents as partially impaired vision, flashes of lights, various shapes, bright or dark spots. Other symptoms include difficulty speaking, hearing disturbances, unilateral numbness, tingling, pins and needles. The aura phase rarely lasts longer than an hour.
Attack
A migraine attack itself can last for up to 72 hours if left untreated. Migraine sufferers typically experience the worst symptoms during the attack phase. How often migraines occur varies from person to person.
Postdrome
After a migraine attack, the sufferer may feel extreme fatigue and generalised soreness. Sudden head movement might also reproduce the pain again briefly. However, some people report a sense of relief at this stage.
Migraine sufferers know that during a severe episode, nothing else matters besides the migraine. Relieving the symptoms of a migraine can become the only mission of someone who is badly affected. The overbearing pain from migraines can limit someone to resting in a dark, silent room. An intense migraine can be debilitating, preventing you from being able to think or function properly.
Remedy: Pain medication for migraines
By convention, migraine and headache doctors or specialists in Singapore tend to prescribe various medications that either treat acute migraine attacks or help prevent them. This is because previous theories have focused on vascular causes being responsible for the migraine attacks. However, current theories argue that migraines should be thought of as a condition that is mediated by the central nervous system instead.³ It is thought to be a complex of pain responses from the neck and upper limb muscles, leading to a hyperactive state of the trigeminal pathway that conveys sensory information for the face.
Many people who suffer from migraines desperately seek ways to reduce their pain and suffering, often turning to alternatives to pain relievers to remedy their symptoms.
Remedy: Chiropractic treatment of migraines
Fortunately, Chiropractors are able to help relieve you of your migraine without pharmaceutical drugs or invasive procedures. Although the pathogenesis of migraine is complex and still developing, there seems to be adequate evidence to further investigate the neurological pain pathway and its close links between the mechanical and pain receptors and nociceptors. This may explain the reason Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy has been shown to be effective in treating patients who experience migraines.
Routine Chiropractic care provides those who are suffering with a safe, non-invasive and drug-free alternative to over-the-counter or the commonly prescribed pain medications. This is supported by research that has found Chiropractic manipulation to work better than the usual pain-relieving medications to ease the symptoms of patients’ migraines.⁴
Studies have concluded that patients who received Chiropractic adjustments or pain medications all reported a reduction in pain in the short term. Long-term results greater than one year reported that Chiropractic patients still felt better, with migraine episodes being halved on average. In contrast, patients who continued with their medications regressed back to square one.⁵
Chiropractic manipulation for migraines is often used in conjunction with other treatments including exercise and physical therapy. After an evaluation, your Chiropractor may also offer dietary advice which can provide some additional relief, since nutritional triggers have been known to cause migraines. Stress relieving techniques, postural advice and lifestyle recommendations may also be included in the treatment plan in order to limit the migraine triggers so as to reduce the frequency and severity of the migraines.
Cervicogenic headaches
Cervicogenic headache is a common chronic or recurrent headache that is often misdiagnosed since it mimics migraine symptoms, so it may be difficult to distinguish between the two. Cervicogenic headaches typically begin with pain on one side of the head that originates from the neck region. Symptoms can start at the back of the head and then radiate towards the front, often with accompanying shoulder or arm pain on the same side. It is characterised by symptoms of neck involvement, such as reduced range of motion or worsening of the headache on certain movements. Cervicogenic headache is a type of secondary headache that stems from an underlying problem or injury in the cervical spine, and may be triggered by sudden movements, abnormal posture or pressure to certain areas in the neck.
Remedy: Chiropractic treatment of cervicogenic headaches
Cervicogenic headaches often do not improve with medication, whereas research shows that spinal manipulation, one of the primary treatment options provided by Chiropractors, is highly recommended with the region of focus on the upper part of the spine. Chiropractic care, which includes a combination of spinal manipulation, active and passive exercises, and massage, is often used for headache management and prevention. This multidisciplinary approach has proven to be effective.
Most people do not view headaches as a serious condition as it comes and goes, and is neither contagious nor life-threatening. Hence, it is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. However, if your headache has been ongoing for a long period of time or is persistent and beginning to affect your daily life, it may be time to get professional advice and seek the appropriate intervention / consult a headache and migraine treatment in Singapore.
If you or someone you know suffers from headaches, schedule a consultation with our Australian trained & registered Chiropractors. Kissun Chiropractic is a trusted and leading chiropractic clinic in Singapore offering affordable and effective treatments for all ages in the community.
Find out more about Dr Richard Kissun.
They are experienced in treating routine and complex neuromusculoskeletal conditions such as headaches, neck, shoulder and backaches, osteoarthritis, scoliosis, sciatica, pregnancy aches and pains, sports injuries, performing ergonomic assessments and postural checks. Patients’ conditions are managed through natural, safe, non-invasive, drug and surgery free treatments, relying on the bodies’ inherent recuperative functions. Treatment plans are customized to patients’ specific needs and preferences.
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Source:
1. https://www.who.int/
2. https://ichd-3.org/
3. Goadsby, P. J., Holland, P. R., Martins-Oliveira, M., Hoffmann, J., Schankin, C., & Akerman, S. (2017). Pathophysiology of Migraine: A Disorder of Sensory Processing. Physiological reviews, 97(2), 553–622. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00034.2015
4. Chaibi, A., & Tuchin, P. J. (2011). Chiropractic spinal manipulative treatment of migraine headache of 40-year duration using Gonstead method: a case study. Journal of chiropractic medicine, 10(3), 189–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcm.2011.02.002
5. Chaibi, A., Knackstedt, H., Tuchin, P. J., & Russell, M. B. (2017). Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for cervicogenic headache: a single-blinded, placebo, randomized controlled trial. BMC research notes, 10(1), 310. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-017-2651-4
6. Moore, C., Leaver, A., Sibbritt, D. et al. The management of common recurrent headaches by chiropractors: a descriptive analysis of a nationally representative survey. BMC Neurol18, 171 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-018-1173-6
7. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, Marcoux H, Potter B, Ruegg R, Shaw L, Watkin R, White E. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2011 Jun;34(5):274-89. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2011.04.008. PMID: 21640251