At my chiropractic office in Short North, Columbus, one of the most common complaints that new patients present with is headaches.

Types of Headaches -- New patients frequently arrive to my San Diego chiropractic office complaining of frequent and chronic headaches. For a lot of people who don't experience bad headaches, this issue might seem to be a small health condition. Yet, headaches can have a major impact on the affected person as well as on society generally. At least ten million people in the United States sought medical help related to headaches in 2007 alone and are among the main reasons for people missing work or school.

Medicine prescribed by a general practitioner takes away pain temporarily, but doesn't help the cause. Chiropractic care, on the other hand, is pointed more towards fixing the underlying causes behind so many kinds of headaches. If you have been experiencing headache pain, read on to understand the five major categories of headache -– tension, toxic, sinus, cluster, and migraine.

Tension Headaches -- The tension headache is significantly more prevalent than other varieties. Almost 80 percent of the population is afflicted with tension headaches sometimes, with almost 5 percent afflicted with tension headaches daily. Tension headaches do not affect men as much as women.

Tension headache sufferers may endure pain lasting thirty minutes to multiple days. Patients most often report this headache as a band of pain, wrapping around the head, or general throbbing pressure in their head.

The severity can become much greater with headache frequency. Emotional distress, difficulty sleeping, and bad posture individually or in combination can lead to tension headaches. The causes listed here are actually the most common triggers for this type of headache.

Toxic Headaches -- Toxic headaches are the type the medical community has the most trouble recognizing. It may, however, be the easiest headache to diagnose if the patient has direct exposure to a toxic substance.

Sinus Headaches -- Sinus headaches usually are felt near the forehead, cheekbones, eye area, and around the nose area. Medication treats only the symptoms, not the causes of sinus headaches, and they may lead to chronic sinus problems for the patient.

Cluster Headaches - Cluster headaches typically happen on one side and people consider them to be a more severe type of headache. They are so rare that fewer than a tenth of one percent suffer from them. Most patients report beginning to experience these headaches prior to 30 years old, and they experience pain for two weeks to three months.

Occurring one to three times per day, these headaches can be 30 to 90 minutes in duration. One to two hours after retiring, the patient is usually awakened by them.

Following the cluster period, the headaches may disappear for months or even years, but pop up again at a later date. These attacks seem to be related to circadian rhythms connected with the pineal gland and hypothalamus, which control the sleeping and waking cycles. Seasonal changes in the fall or spring can also cause these headaches.

Migraine Headaches -- Migraine headaches relate to swelling and contracting arteries inside and around a patient’s head. An estimated 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, and about 13 million haven't even been diagnosed. Females experience greater numbers of migraines. Out of diagnosed migraine patients, two of every five suffer one or fewer attacks each month; 35 percent experience more frequent attacks, up to four per month, and up to a quarter of patients report four or more attacks every month. It is normal for migraines to endure for four hours to three days.

There is a hereditary trait in their families for four out of five migraine sufferers. If you suffer from migraines, your children have a 50 percent chance of also experiencing migraines; if you and your partner both experience migraines, your children have a 75 percent probability they will too.

There are numerous possible migraine triggers, such as: stress, chemicals, caffeine, weather conditions, hormonal cycles, fatigue, poor sleep patterns, and skipping meals. The physical symptoms of a migraine include nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting; depressed appetite; stomach pains; and a sensitivity to lighting, loud noises, or odors. Children with migraines might have a pale appearance, feel lightheaded, experience blurry sight, or a high temperature and/or upset stomach.