Complete Guide to Headaches in Yuba City CA

Tension Headaches in yuba city ca

Tension headaches, the most common type, feel like a constant ache or pressure at the bottom of the skull and around the neck and head. Not as severe as migraines, they don’t usually cause nausea or vomiting, and they rarely halt daily activities.

Over-the-counter treatments, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen (Tylenol), are usually sufficient to treat them. A top Yuba City CA Chiropractor believes these may be caused by the contraction of neck and scalp muscles, including in response to stress.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are recurring and more common in men than women. They appear suddenly and are characterized by severe, debilitating pain on one side of the head, and are often accompanied by a watery eye and nasal congestion or a runny nose on the same side of the face.

People often feel restless and tired as they are unlikely to lie down, as someone with a migraine might. The cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but there may be a genetic component. There is no academic cure, but research suggests a hot sauna and sleeping on the right side (right shoulder down) help drain the sinus and limbic system of the brain.

Migraine Headaches

Here are some criteria for migraines:

1. First, migraines most commonly run in families.
2. Sensitive to light and sound.
3. A migraine may be foreshadowed by aurae, such as visual distortions or hand numbness.
4. Diagnosed in early years, teens to early twenties.
5. Mostly located at the top of the head, like a band, or throbbing on one side of the head.

Most people with migraines are diagnosed at an early age due to abnormal sleep patterns. People often find relief in dark quiet places (closets, sitting alone in the car at night, you get the picture). Trends are showing a chemical imbalance in hormones associated with sleeping in the late afternoon.

Sinus Headaches

When a sinus becomes inflamed, due to an infection, it can cause pain. It usually comes with a fever and can be diagnosed by symptoms or the presence of pus viewed through a fiber-optic scope.

Headaches due to sinus infection can be treated with antibiotics, antihistamines, or decongestants.

Other conservative cares include nasal flush and hot steam sauna.

Other Rare Causes of Headaches:

Aneurysm
Mimic migraine headaches are caused by weakness of the inner layer of the blood vessel wall. This can rupture (stroke) and allow blood to leak slowly resulting in a sudden, unbearable headache, double vision, and a rigid neck. The individual rapidly becomes unconscious and fall-over, then regains contentiousness, this may happen several times before being diagnosed with an aneurysm. Hypertension is the greatest risk factor.

Depression
The presence of depression is often subtle and the diagnosis is frequently missed. Depression has a widespread affliction that can be treated, but first, it must be unmasked from the conversation and complete history. This type of headache is present in an overly worried person who seems nervous and jittery on a regular base.

Eye-Strain
Related to overuse of the eye, rare.

Exertion
Usually, after an active and rigorous workout, run, or other physical activity. Passive causes include sneezing, coughing, or bowl movement; muscle fatigue and cramp is the underlying mechanism.

Post-Traumatic Headache
Mostly occurs after a concussion injury from a sport or car accident. The cause of injury can be pinpointed.

Tic Douloureux
Short, sharp, burning, jab-like pain found in the face around the mouth or jaw. It is a relatively rare disease of neural impulses and is more common in women after age 55.

Tumor
Headache progressively worsens within a few weeks and may be associated with projectile vomiting. Possible sensory changes such as vision, hearing, or personality changes- problems with walking associated with equilibrium; gait, or coordination. It is an extremely rare condition, but if seizures accompany headaches this is a Reg Flag.

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
Painful click in the jaw, feels like the pain is inside the ear. Mostly due to teeth grinding or crooked jaw-line (upper jaw doesn’t line with lower jaw).

Menstrual Headache
Migraine-type pain that occurs shortly before, during, or immediately after menstruation or at mid-cycle. Caused by variation in estrogen levels.

Hypertension Headaches
The classic presentation is in a patient that is already been diagnosed with high blood pressure. More severe in the morning and eases off throughout the day

Hunger Headache
Headache strikes just before mealtime. It is caused by muscle tension due to low blood sugar and rebound dilation of the blood vessels, oversleeping, or missing a meal.

Giant Cell Arteritis
A boring, burning, or jabbing pain caused by inflammation of the temporal arteries; pain, often around the ear, when chewing. The patient has no other history of headaches, then gets severe stabbing pain at the side of the head. This rarely affects people under 50. A possible cause may be an immune disorder.

Fever Headache
Generalized head pain develops with fever and is caused by the swelling of the blood vessels of the head, caused by infection and high body temperatures. A fever, headache, and rash together at once is a red flag for infection.