Cluster Headache Treatment in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
●
Cluster headaches, which occur in cyclical patterns or cluster
periods, are one of the most painful types of headache. A cluster headache
commonly awakens you in the middle of the night with intense pain in or around
one eye on one side of your head.
●
Bouts of frequent attacks, known as cluster periods, can last
from weeks to months, usually followed by remission periods when the headaches
stop. During remission, no headaches occur for months and sometimes even years.
● Fortunately, cluster headache is rare and not
life-threatening. Treatments can make cluster headache attacks shorter and less
severe. In addition, medications can reduce the number of cluster headaches you
have.
Symptoms
●
Common
signs and symptoms
●
A cluster headache strikes quickly, usually without warning,
although you might first have migraine-like nausea and aura. Common signs and
symptoms during a headache include:
–
Excruciating pain that is generally situated in, behind or
around one eye, but may radiate to other areas of your face, head and neck
–
One-sided pain
–
Restlessness
–
Excessive tearing
–
Redness of your eye on the affected side
–
Stuffy or runny nose on the affected side
–
Forehead or facial sweating on the affected side
–
Pale skin (pallor) or flushing on your face
–
Swelling around your eye on the affected side
–
Drooping eyelid on the affected side
● People
with cluster headache, unlike those with migraine, are likely to pace or sit
and rock back and forth. Some migraine-like symptoms — including sensitivity to
light and sound — can occur with a cluster headache, though usually on one
side.
Cluster period characteristics
● A cluster
period generally lasts for several weeks to months. The starting date and the
duration of each cluster period might be consistent from period to period. For
example, cluster periods can occur seasonally, such as every spring or every
fall.
● Most people
have episodic cluster headaches. In episodic cluster headaches, the headaches
occur for one week to a year, followed by a pain-free remission period lasting
3 months or longer before another cluster headache develops.
● Chronic
cluster periods might continue for more than a year, or pain-free periods might
last less than one month.
During a cluster period:
●
Headaches usually occur
every day, sometimes several times a day
●
A single attack can last
from 15 minutes to three hours
●
The attacks often occur at
the same time each day
●
Most attacks occur at
night, usually 1 to 2 hours after you go to bed
The pain
usually ends as suddenly as it began, with rapidly decreasing intensity. After
attacks, most people are pain-free but exhausted.
When to see a doctor
● See your
doctor if you’ve just started to have cluster headaches to rule out other
disorders and to find the most effective treatment.
● Headache
pain, even when severe, usually isn’t the result of an underlying disease. But
headaches can occasionally indicate a serious underlying medical condition,
such as a brain tumor or rupture of a weakened blood vessel (aneurysm).
● Additionally,
if you have a history of headaches, see your doctor if the pattern changes or
your headaches suddenly feel different.
Seek emergency care if you
have any of these signs and symptoms:
●
An abrupt, severe headache,
often like a thunderclap
●
A headache with a fever,
nausea or vomiting, a stiff neck, mental confusion, seizures, numbness, or
speaking difficulties, which can indicate a number of problems, including a
stroke, meningitis, encephalitis or a brain tumor
●
A headache after a head
injury, even if it’s a minor fall or bump, especially if it worsens
●
A sudden, severe headache
unlike any you’ve had
●
A headache that worsens
over days and changes in pattern
Causes
● The exact
cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but cluster headache patterns suggest
that abnormalities in the body’s biological clock (hypothalamus) play a role.
● Unlike
migraine and tension headache, cluster headache generally isn’t associated with
triggers, such as foods, hormonal changes or stress.
● Once a
cluster period begins, however, drinking alcohol may quickly trigger a
splitting headache. For this reason, many people with cluster headache avoid
alcohol during a cluster period.
Other
possible triggers include the use of medications such as nitroglycerin, a drug
used to treat heart disease.
Risk factors
Risk factors for cluster
headaches include:
●
Sex. Men are more likely to
have cluster headaches.
●
Age. Most people who
develop cluster headaches are between ages 20 and 50, although the condition
can develop at any age.
●
Smoking. Many people who
get cluster headache attacks are smokers. However, quitting smoking usually has
no effect on the headaches.
●
Alcohol use. If you have
cluster headaches, drinking alcohol during a cluster period may increase your
risk of an attack.
●
A family history. Having a
parent or sibling who has had cluster headache might increase your risk.
Diagnosis
● Cluster
headache has a characteristic type of pain and pattern of attacks. A diagnosis
depends on your description of the attacks, including your pain, the location
and severity of your headaches, and associated symptoms.
● How often
your headaches occur and how long they last also are important factors.
●
Your doctor will likely try
to pinpoint the type and cause of your headache using certain approaches.
Neurological examination
●
A neurological examination
may help your doctor detect physical signs of a neurological disorder. The exam
is usually normal in patients with cluster headaches. Your doctor will use a
series of procedures to assess your brain function, including testing your
senses, reflexes and nerves.
Imaging tests
If you have unusual or
complicated headaches or an abnormal neurological examination, your doctor
might recommend other tests to rule out other serious causes of head pain, such
as a tumor or an aneurysm. Common brain imaging tests include:
●
MRI. This uses a powerful
magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed images of your brain and
blood vessels.
●
CT scan. This uses a series
of X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of your brain.
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating cluster headaches and
are your source for expert treatment of cluster headaches in Westminster and
Denver Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and
chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many
other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston
technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop
table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your
Premier destination for cluster headache treatment in Westminster Colorado and
Denver Colorado Chiropractor.