Headaches affect just about everyone at some time or another.

Some people only experience pain in one part of their head or behind their eyes. Some people experience a pounding sensation inside their whole head. The pain may be dull or sharp and may last for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Fortunately, few headaches have serious underlying causes.

Chiropractic adjustments are highly effective for treating tension headaches, after a thorough evaluation, of course. According to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, spinal manipulation is effective for treating tension headaches.Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that found spinal manipulative therapy to be very effective for treating tension headaches. Each individual’s case is different and requires a thorough evaluation before a proper course of chiropractic care can be determined.

Tension Headaches
Tension headaches affect more than three quarters of all headache sufferers. These dull, achy headaches usually begin slowly and gradually and can last for 30 minutes to several days or months. They tend to begin in the middle or toward the end of the day. Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture. Another cause of tension headaches is referred pain from trigger points in the Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) or levator muscle on the side of the neck, common in people who suffer whiplash.

Migraines
About 25 million people experience migraine headaches each year, 75 percent of them are women. These intense and throbbing headaches are often associated with nausea and sensitivity to light or noise, lasting from a few hours a few days. Many migraine sufferers experience visual symptoms called an aura just prior to an attack—described as flashing lights. Migraine sufferers usually have their first attack before age 30 and migraines tend to run in families. Some people find that migraine attacks occur less frequently and become less severe as they get older. Caused by a constriction of the blood vessels in the brain followed by a dilation of blood vessels causing a rapid increase in blood pressure inside the head, migraines can be triggered by lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong odors, changing weather patterns and foods high in an amino acid called "tyramine."

Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are excruciating yet short in duration. Usually felt on one side of the head behind the eyes, cluster headaches affect about 1 million people in the United States and are much more common in men occurring at night. Called "cluster" because they tend to occur one to four times per day over a period of several days, months and even years can pass in between another occurrence. Cluster headaches are likely to be related to a dilation of the blood vessels in the brain, causing a localized increase in pressure.