Cranium Discomfort

When you have a pain in the Cranium, in your head, it can be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing a regular headache, a migraine, a sinus headache, or possibly TMJ.
Identifying the difference can mean faster relief through targeted treatments and may help prevent future occurrences

Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common and are usually triggered by stress, muscle strain, or anxiety. The pain can range from mild to severe, which usually occur on both sides of the head and can last from a few minutes to many days.
Cluster headaches, that can be severely painful and usually occur on one side of the head, come in cycles of pain and no pain. These are most common between adolescence and middle age, but can occur at any age.

Migraines

Migraines are usually intense or severe and can be debilitating; making daily tasks difficult to perform. They are often accompanied by other symptoms; nausea and vomiting, pain behind an eye or ear or in the temples, sensitivity to light and sound, temporary vision loss, seeing spots or flashing lights

Chiropractic treatment

A misalignment in the spine can create pressure on the nervous system, which in turn can cause headaches and migraines. Symptoms can be minimized or corrected by aligning the spine, thus removing the pressure; this has significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief than commonly prescribed medications.
Trigger Point Therapy can be used to eliminate the referred pain from the muscles on the side of the neck.

Sinus headaches

Sinus headaches are often confused with migraines, however they co-occur with sinus infection symptoms such as fever, stuffy nose, cough, congestion, and facial pressure.

Chiropractic treatment

Manipulative Therapy includes applying gentle pressure to bones in your facial region, or other areas of your body including the spinal column, to stimulate the nervous system and restore function to the affected areas.
For more extreme cases where sinus cavities are filled with mucous and pus, small balloons can be inserted into the nasal cavity and inflated to expanding the sinus openings. This allows the drainage of excess fluid, which brings relief from the constant pressure within the sinus cavities.
Trigger-point therapy can be used to apply pressure to target areas around your neck and brain stem to relax and drain your sinus passages of excess fluid. Eliminating this fluid, and associated bacteria, can alleviate sinusitis symptoms.
Light-Force Cranial Manipulation is an adjustment of your skull bones, which solely focuses on the sinuses and bones in your facial area to relieve pressure within the affected sinus cavities.
Your treatments may include home therapy such as applying a compress to the affected areas to reduce swelling, and stimulation the areas through massage or stretching.

TMJ

Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome – TMJ, occurs when the temporomandibular joint, which connects your jaw to your skull, is injured or damaged. This can lead to localized symptoms; jaw clicking and popping, ear pain, popping sounds in ears, headaches, stiff or sore jaw muscles, pain in the temple area, or locking of the jaw joint

Chiropractic treatment

The combination of regular chiropractic treatment, Active Release Technique, and Trigger Point Therapy provide an effective treatment for TMJ.

Chiropractic treatment focuses on correcting poor posture in the neck and upper back muscles, which may lead to neck strain and abnormalities of jaw muscle function.
Active Release Technique, a soft tissue therapy, breaks up adhesions and scar tissue on the surrounding muscle and ligaments, and Trigger Point Therapy relieves tension in the muscles around the joints themselves.

In all cases, your treatment will depend on the true cause of your problem. However, medications, both over-the-counter and prescription strength, may help dull or numb the pain, but they rarely fix the cause!