Most headaches happen due to the blood vessels and muscles tightening, putting pressure on the surrounding nerves, causing pain. The main types of headache are Tension and Migraine (and hangover due to dehydration!). Rarer forms are cluster headaches.

Other possible causes of headaches are:
• Eye strain due to defective eyesight
• Sinusitis
• Toothache
• Digestive disturbances
• Allergy
• Tight muscles
• Hormonal changes
• Joint dysfunction

What can you do to help yourself?
• Avoid excessive use of alcohol and tobacco.
• Engage in correct posture while sitting and working.
• Perform relaxation and stretching techniques on a consistent basis.
• Get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
• Put a cool, moist cloth across the forehead or eyes
• For migraine headaches, resting in a quiet, dark room may reduce symptoms and avoid certain foods which are thought to cause migraines: chocolate, cheese, alcohol, fatty fried foods, tea, coffee, seafood, pork.

Changes in the cervical spine can cause tension in the muscles of the upper back or neck region, restricting blood vessels or aggravating the outermost sheath of the spinal chord, resulting in a headache. As this tension builds it can refer pain to other areas making the headache ‘grow' causing the pain to spread away from the original site. This type of intermittent or continuous headache can be due to muscle tension or joint dysfunction. These types of headaches can often be resistant to the usual medication but responds well to osteopathic manipulation and soft tissue techniques.