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Headaches In Children
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, 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, in particular Chiropractic. Typically,
an examination will be conducted
pinpoint triggers and identify and correct
any nerve interference from the upper spine that might be involved.
Locating and correcting vertebral subluxation in pediatric patients has
been quite successful in relieving the pain, frequency and duration of
their headaches in a relatively short span of time.
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Back to School and Back to Headaches - myGLOSS
Read more...
Children's Concussion Crisis? Study Finds Dramatic Rise in ER Visits - AOL News
Read more...
Area school nurses clarify student medication policy - KCBD-TV
Read more...
Lifestyle affects teen headaches - CNN (blog)
Read more...
Study: More Children Treated for Concussions - WBAY
Read more...
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