What Are Cluster Headaches?
Everyone suffers from the occasional headache, but cluster headaches are some of the most painful types of headaches you can have. They involve clusters or patterns of severe pain. These attacks can last anywhere from 15 minutes to about three hours, but the worst part is that they are repetitive. Cluster headaches will reoccur frequently for about four to six weeks.
Every few months, cluster headache attacks will start up again. During these attack periods, the pain can be debilitating. Cluster headaches can interfere with your job, your daily chores, and activities, and make it difficult to do anything you enjoy. Even when you're in remission between cluster attacks, knowing the pain will be back again is very stressful.
Signs and Symptoms of Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are among the most painful type of headaches, usually felt in the front of the head behind the eye. It usually occurs on only one side of the head. The pain has been described as feeling like a hot poker has been jabbed in the eye.
In addition to pain, cluster headaches may involve swelling or drooping of the eyelid. Some sufferers experience congestion, a sweaty forehead, or watery eyes.
For a few weeks, sufferers will experience headaches every day or two (sometimes multiple times per day). The headaches will then cease for a period of remission, which usually lasts from six to twelve months.
Cluster headaches are more likely to affect men between the ages of 20 and 40.
How Does the Upper Cervical Spine Affect Cluster Headaches
Medical researchers are not sure what exactly causes cluster headaches, but it is believed to have something to do with abnormalities in the function of the hypothalamus. This is the part of the brain that regulates many of the body's functions.
Some promising research suggests the issue may stem from a misalignment of the upper cervical spine. The upper cervical spine begins just below the brain stem, at the base of the skull, and runs down the neck and into the upper back. It is comprised of the uppermost seven vertebrae, which carry the weight of the head. The top two vertebrae form the atlantoaxial joint, which allows the head to move and pivot.
When the vertebrae in the upper cervical spine are misaligned, it can cause inflammation and pinched nerves that disrupt nerve signals in the brain. This can impair the function of the hypothalamus.
How the Blair Chiropractic Technique Can Help Relieve Cluster Headache Pain
The Blair Chiropractic Technique is a modern technique that focuses specifically on the health of the upper cervical spine. Unlike traditional chiropractic treatment with twists and jerks, specialists in the Blair technique use gentle manipulations to help correct misalignments. This is because alignments are more precise, as Blair practitioners use advanced technology to calculate misalignments.
Dr. Gordon Elder is an expert in the Blair Chiropractic Technique. An exam begins with screening using digital 3D diagnostic tools. After screening, Dr. Elder makes gentle, swift corrections to help coax the spine back into a properly aligned state. Once this is done, the body's natural healing processes can commence so that nerve function will resume.
After the initial treatment, follow-up exams will ensure that the alignment is holding in place and healing is progressing. Dr. Elder recommends patients return for regular check-ups as a preventative measure to prevent new problems.
Don't allow cluster headaches to cause problems in your life, making all of your daily activities difficult for weeks at a time. Call Dr. Elder to see if a misalignment of the spine is the root cause of the problem. Dr. Elder treats patients in Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, and El Paso in Texas, as well as Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.