Headache Treatment | Fuller Sleep & TMJ Solutions

Treatment for Headaches

A headache is no big deal, right? Wrong. While most will go with a dose of ibuprofen or eating, some last longer and signal an underlying issue. When headaches occur and last for longer than normal, it is important to understand why. Once we figure out the why, we can provide proper treatment for your headache or migraine. After all, if the underlying cause is from your temporomandibular joint, then it takes on a different treatment.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can reduce your risk for headaches and what treatments are available to help.

How do I reduce my headache risk?

This will vary from person to person, but generally it is important to reduce the number of risk factors present. Some of the ways you can reduce your risk are:

Supporting your bite.
Improving sleeping habits.
Avoiding certain smells.
Drinking less or eliminating alcohol use.
Increasing exercise and losing weight.
Controlling teeth grinding.
Avoiding yeast and preservatives in food.
Improving posture.

Keeping in mind the cause of your headache or migraine, Dr. Fuller can create an appropriate treatment plan.

What headache treatments are available?

From practicing preventive measures to managing contributing factors such as teeth grinding or a bad bite, there are treatments available based on your individual needs. However, before we can begin treatment, we need to determine the type of headache and what has been causing it. Sometimes it is just a matter of removing a certain type of food from your diet.

Migraines can be treated with two options: preventive and abortive. We use preventive medications to avoid the occurrence of a migraine. On the other hand, abortive medications are used to relieve the pain after the migraine has already set in.

And if you have a tension-type headache, a massage might help provide initial pain. This is especially true if the headache is caused by muscle tension in the neck or scalp. Over the counter pain medications can also provide pain relief. Lastly, if it is a cluster headache, over the counter pain medications do not seem to help relieve pain.

But we can help. Contact us at Fuller Sleep & TMJ Solutions for more information on headaches and what treatment will work best for you.