Why Do Kids Get Headaches?
Our
examination is designed to discover the three possible causes of your
child's headaches: physical, chemical or emotional issues.
Does
your child frequently complain about having a headache? Headaches may
be common, but they’re not normal. The problem with headaches in
children, however, is that they may be more difficult to diagnose in
terms of cause and effect. This is especially true with younger
children, because they frequently lack the verbal skills or experience
to effectively communicate what is wrong or what they are feeling.
Tension
headaches are the most common type of headache found in children (just
like in adults) and usually involve about 75% of all childhood
headaches. Episodic tension headaches occur several times a month, while
chronic tension headaches are much more frequent – more than 15
occurrences in a month. Recent studies seem to point to a genetic link
to these types of headaches, where previously, none was thought to
exist. Triggers may be lack of sleep, tension in the home or school
environment, second-hand cigarette smoke, skipped meals, poor nutrition,
eye strain and bright lights.
Migraine-type
headaches, though more infrequent, also affect children and if a parent
suffers from migraines, their child is 50% more likely to experience
them as well. Put a different way, in 70%-90% of all children with
migraines, there is a family history of migraines as well. Migraine
triggers include foods, such as chocolate and caffeine, lack of sleep,
missed meals and, particularly in females, hormonal changes.
Children’s
headaches can also be caused by chronic ear and sinus infections, onset
of menstruation, poor vision, strep throat or fever. While most parents
reach for over-the-counter pain relievers to deal with their child’s
pain, this approach may produce certain undesirable side effects and
even trigger rebound headaches.
There
are many drug-free alternative ways to deal with children’s headaches.
Naturally, we think a thorough chiropractic examination is the best
place to start. We’ll conduct a full screening to pinpoint triggers and
identify and reduce any nerve interference from the upper spine that
might be involved. Locating and correcting vertebral subluxation in our
youngest patients have often been successful in relieving the pain,
frequency and duration of their headaches in a relatively short time.
A simple solution that is easily within your reach – give us a call if your child is experiencing frequent headaches.
