Patients often present to our city of London (EC2) chiropractic clinic with a chief complaint of headaches. Before this symptom can be treated, it is necessary to ascertain where the pain is coming from. Although often this symptom relates to referred pain arising from the bony or soft tissue structures of the neck, other sources of headache must be considered.

Headaches can be classified as either primary or secondary.(1) The main differentiation is that secondary headaches are caused by an underlying structural or organic disease.

Headaches are a common complaint and although fairly uncommon maybe a symptom of something more serious going on.

For this reason, if you experience any of the “red flag” symptoms listed below, please visit your local Accident and Emergency Department:-

• Sudden, severe headaches that persist or increases in intensity over 24 hours
• Sudden very severe headache, worse than any headache ever experienced
• Chronic or severe headache that begins after 50 years old
• Headaches that are accompanied by memory loss, confusion, changfes in speech or vision or loss of strength or numbness/tingling in arms or legs
• Headaches after head injury especially if also drowsy
• Headache accompanied by fever, neck stiffness nausea and vomiting
• Headache that increases with coughing or straining
• Headache associated with fever, redness in the eye or personality changes

 1 The International Classification of headaches Disorders (2nd edition) Cephalalgia 2004; 24 Suppl 1: 1-160);

The most common subtypes of primary headaches are given in the table below. This ist of diagnoses along with the common presenting characteristics should not be considered a replacement for a full medical examination. Furthermore,we do not purport to treat all the Conditions listed.

Chiropractors use a package of care in their approach to the prevention of Tension, Cervicogenic and migraine headaches that may include manual therapies, exercise, therapeutic advice and postural advice.

There is evidence to support this approach to patient management:

Bronfort-G et al 2004: Non invasive physical treatments for chronic/recurrent headache (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004 issue 3

Should you wish to discuss any of these conditions with our chiropractors please do not hesitate to phone the clinic on 020 7374 2272 or email enquiries@body-motion.co.uk)