Do you experience headaches several times a month but have no clue as to what type of you have? Do your symptoms get in the way of handling tasks at work efficiently? Have your episodes cost you many missed opportunities to hang out with your friends or colleagues? 

Indeed, having frequent headaches can be quite a bummer especially if you’re a busy or outgoing person. The situation can also get worse if you have no idea why you’re experiencing headaches in the first place. Is it caused by dehydration? Stress? Neck bone misalignments? Are you having migraine headaches?

The sooner you can figure out what your problem is, the bigger chance you get at experiencing lasting headache or migraine relief in Anchorage.

The Different Kinds of Headaches

In order to find the best headache and migraine relief in Anchorage, or wherever you may be, it’s important to understand the different kinds of headaches. The most common types are primary and secondary headaches. 

Primary headaches are those that occur for no known reason and aren’t caused by another health condition or medication side effect. There are several types of primary headaches, below are the most common ones:

Tension Headaches

This headache results from stress and muscle tension in the head and neck. It usually lasts for an hour to several days but doesn’t cause any other symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting.

Migraine Headaches

Another type of primary headache, but they are more severe than tension headaches. They usually affect only one side of the head and can last several hours up to three days. It is often accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, visual disturbances called an aura, and vomiting if severe enough.

Cluster Headaches

This kind of headache occurs on both sides of the head at once rather than just one side as migraines do; they're also known for causing redness around your eye sockets when you cry because they go away after around 15 minutes each time it happens.

On the other hand, secondary headaches are often the result of other health-related issues. You may be surprised to learn that many headaches are caused by factors you can control. This doesn't mean that you're at fault for having a headache or that the pain is your fault. There are many different kinds of headaches, most of which are due to lack of sleep, infections, or imbalances in the body. 

If you experience new symptoms that don't fit into your typical pattern of frequent pain, it may be worth checking in with your doctor about whether it’s related to another underlying problem—or just a simple headache migraine relief form that could be easily resolved with some lifestyle changes.

Reasons Why It Pays To Know the Differences

Now that you know the different kinds of headaches, let's look at why it’s important to know their differences. 

• Knowing the kinds of headaches and how they work will make it much easier to manage them when they come. 
• It will also help you choose the most fitting and effective form of relief that will not only address your symptoms but give you lasting results.
• You can address underlying concerns and avoid triggers that may only apply to your situation.

Most Recommended Headache and Migraine Relief in Anchorage

As for the most recommended approach to headache and migraine relief in Anchorage, there’s upper cervical chiropractic care. This can help ease and manage different kinds of headaches. 

It's a non-invasive, drug-free solution that works by realigning your head and neck, which relieves pressure on nerves that travel through your upper neck and into your brain. Furthermore, upper cervical chiropractic care is gentle enough to be used in children as young as two years old. 

If you’re not sure whether to try this source of migraine relief, we suggest asking yourself the following: 

• Did you hurt your head or neck at some point in your life?
• Did you get in a car accident but did not get treated for whiplash or concussions?
• Do you notice slight changes to your gait?
• Are your shoulders and legs slightly unlevelled?
• Have you been experiencing mild to severe neck pain and tension?

Answering yes to one of more of the questions above warrants a quick assessment with an upper cervical doctor. This way, you can undergo the tests required to check if your atlas and axis bones are still in a neutral position.

In most cases of neck or head injuries, the ligaments holding the neck bones in place get torn, causing undetectable postural changes that cause the head to tilt. Unfortunately, because the head weighs heavy, the rest of the spine have to twist to keep your eyes at proper level.

This leads to a series of problems ranging from chronic neck pain to migraines and headaches that don’t improve even with medication intake. Visit Dr. Rizaldy Ortiz of Atlas Disc and Spine today to learn if you need upper cervical chiropractic adjustments. Book your appointment by filling out this online consultation form.

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Ortiz, call our Anchorage office at 907-222-4604. You can also click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.