Cluster headaches are sometimes called "suicide headaches" because of how severe they are. They're rare compared to tension headaches or migraines, but the pain is on a completely different level — and the pattern is distinct enough that once you recognize it, you don't forget it.
The classic pattern
- Severe, sharp, boring pain around or behind one eye
- Attacks last 15 minutes to 3 hours
- Come in clusters — often at the same time each day, sometimes multiple times per day, for weeks or months, then disappear for months or years
- Same side associated symptoms: red or watery eye, drooping eyelid, runny or stuffy nostril, sweating on that side of the face
- Restlessness — unlike migraine sufferers who want to lie still, cluster patients often pace or rock
Not cervicogenic — but the neck still matters
Cluster headaches have a hypothalamic origin and don't respond to chiropractic care the way tension or cervicogenic headaches do. But the neck often accumulates protective tension during clusters, and treating that can reduce baseline load and secondary symptoms.
What actually works
Medical management is first-line: high-flow oxygen, triptans, verapamil, and other preventives from a neurologist or headache specialist. If you've been diagnosed with cluster headaches, get that pipeline set up.
Where we can help
We manage the secondary neck and shoulder tension, provide acupuncture (which has some evidence for reducing cluster frequency), and coordinate with your physician. If your headaches don't fit the cluster pattern above, they may be migraines or cervicogenic headaches, which respond well to structured chiropractic care.
Not sure what type of headache you have? Come in for an assessment. Many patients have been treating the wrong condition for years.