
What Type Of Headache Do I Have – Headaches are a very common condition that most people experience many times throughout their lives. The main symptom of a headache is pain in the head or face. There are several types of headaches, and tension headaches are the most common. Although most headaches are harmless, certain types of headaches can be a sign of a serious underlying condition.
Lifestyle factors that can trigger primary headaches include alcohol consumption, nicotine consumption, changes in sleep patterns, poor body posture and many more.
What Type Of Headache Do I Have
A headache is pain in the head or face that is often described as throbbing, persistent, sharp, or dull pressure. Headaches can vary greatly in terms of type of pain, severity, location and frequency.
What You Need To Know About Headaches
Headaches are a very common condition that most people experience many times throughout their lives. This is the most common form of pain and is a major reason for missing work or school, as well as visits to health care providers.
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There are more than 150 types of headaches. These headaches fall into two main categories: primary and secondary headaches.
Dysfunction or overactivity of the pain-sensitive features of your head causes primary headaches. This is not a symptom or caused by an underlying medical condition. Some people may have genes that make them more likely to experience primary headaches.
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Spinal headache: A spinal headache is a severe headache that occurs when spinal fluid leaks out of the membrane covering the spinal cord, usually after a spinal tap. Most spinal headaches can be treated at home, but prolonged and untreated spinal headaches can lead to life-threatening complications, including subdural hematomas and seizures.
Lightning headaches: Lightning headaches are extremely painful headaches that occur suddenly, like a lightning strike. This type of headache reaches its greatest pain within one minute and lasts at least five minutes. Although thunderclap headaches are sometimes harmless, it is important to seek immediate medical attention. It could be a sign of:
Migraine is a common neurological condition that causes a variety of symptoms, especially a throbbing headache on one side of the head. Migraines are often made worse by physical activity, light, sound, or smells. It usually lasts at least four hours or even days.
Anyone can experience headaches, whether children, teenagers or adults. About 96% of people experience a headache at least once in their life.
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Headaches are caused by the interaction of signals between the brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves. During a headache, various mechanisms activate certain nerves that affect the muscles and blood vessels. These nerves send pain signals to your brain, causing headaches.
Headaches tend to run in families, especially migraines. Children who experience migraines usually have at least one biological parent who also experiences them. In fact, children whose parents suffer from migraines are four times more likely to get migraines.
It’s important to diagnose headaches correctly so your healthcare provider can prescribe specific therapy to help you feel better. Your healthcare provider will complete a physical examination, discuss your medical history, and talk with you about your headache symptoms. This conversation is part of the headache evaluation.
After completing the evaluation portion of your health history, your provider may perform a physical and neurological examination. They will look for signs and symptoms of an illness or condition that may be causing the headache, including:
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Neurological tests focus on ruling out diseases that may also be causing the headache. Disorders of your central nervous system may be suspected of causing serious headaches.
After evaluating the results of your headache history, physical exam, and neurological exam, your doctor will be able to determine what type of headache you are experiencing, whether or not there is a serious problem, and whether additional testing is needed.
While scans and other imaging tests are important to rule out other illnesses, they are not helpful in diagnosing migraines, cluster headaches, or tension-type headaches.
But if your healthcare provider thinks your headaches are caused by another medical condition, there are several imaging tests they may perform.
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A CT scan or MRI can help determine whether your headaches are related to a problem with your central nervous system. Both of these tests produce cross-sectional images of your brain that can show abnormal areas or problems.
One of the most important aspects of treating primary headaches is finding out the trigger. Learning what a headache is – usually by keeping a headache log – can reduce the number of headaches you experience.
Once you know your triggers, your healthcare provider can customize treatment for you. For example, you may experience headaches when you are tense or worried. Counseling and stress management techniques can help you better deal with these triggers. By lowering your stress levels, you can avoid stress headaches.
Not all headaches require treatment. Various treatments are available. Depending on the type, frequency, and cause of your headaches, treatment options include:
What To Do For Each Type Of Headache
Stress management teaches you how to deal with stressful situations. Relaxation techniques help manage stress. You use deep breathing, muscle relaxation, mental imagery, and music to relieve your tension.
Biofeedback teaches you to recognize when tension is starting to build in your body. You learn how your body responds to stressful situations and how to cope. During biofeedback, sensors are connected to your body. They monitor your involuntary physical responses to headaches, which include increased:
Occasional tension headaches usually respond well to over-the-counter pain relievers. However, keep in mind that using these medications too often can cause long-term daily headaches (headaches caused by overuse of medication).
For frequent or severe headaches, your provider may recommend prescription headache medication. Triptans and other types of medications can stop migraine attacks. You drink it at the first sign of a headache.
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Medications for high blood pressure, seizures, and depression can sometimes prevent migraines. Your healthcare provider may recommend trying one of the following medications to reduce the frequency of headaches.
You can treat occasional mild headaches at home with over-the-counter pain relievers. Other self-care treatments for headaches include:
The key to preventing headaches is finding out what triggers them. Triggers are very specific to each person — what gives you a headache may not be a problem for someone else. Once you determine your triggers, you can avoid or minimize them.
For example, you may find that strong scents turn you on. Avoiding perfume and scented products can make a big difference in the number of headaches you experience. The same goes for other common triggers such as distracting foods, lack of sleep, and poor posture.
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However, many people are unable to avoid their triggers or are unable to identify their triggers. In this case, a more personalized multidisciplinary approach with a headache specialist is often necessary.
Treating health problems that cause headaches such as high blood pressure can eliminate headaches. Recently, there have been some new advances in our understanding of the causes of headaches.
Although researchers are getting closer to finding a cure, currently, there is no cure for primary headaches. Treatment focuses on eliminating symptoms and preventing future occurrences.
If your headaches are interfering with your daily functioning or affecting your mood, it is important to consult your healthcare provider. If possible, try writing down what you feel when you have a headache. Journaling about your headaches and how you feel can help when you talk to your healthcare provider.
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The information you give your healthcare provider about your headaches is the most important part of the diagnosis process. By giving your healthcare provider as much information as possible about your headaches, you are more likely to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan that will help you feel better. Some headaches can be treated at home. And other types of headaches require prescription help to soothe them. You may not realize that chronic headaches are definitely treatable. “As a neurologist, I am interested in treating migraines because of the difference I can make,” says neurologist Elizabeth Hartman, MD. “We can help our patients function better.”
“I love treating migraines because it changes people’s lives in a significant way,” says pain medicine specialist Angie Rakes, MD. Dr. Rakes and Dr. Hartman help patients suffering from headaches get better sleep, work more effectively and live life to the fullest.
In this article, find out whether the type of headache you are experiencing is the type of headache that is treated at home or the type of headache that is taken to the doctor.
Tension headaches are common headaches, common headaches. You can treat it at home without any problem. “Tension headaches may be annoying or bothersome, but they rarely cause disability,” says Dr. Hartman. It feels like a dull pressure on both sides of your head. You can treat tension headaches with over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
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Migraines are worse. “Migraines tend to feel like they are throbbing. “It tends to be on one side, but it can also be on both sides,” said Dr. Rakes. Women make up 75% of migraine sufferers.
Migraine sufferers often lie in bed in a dark room, unable to move because their condition is so bad. “Unlike regular headaches, people cannot tolerate and function through migraine headaches,” says Dr. Hartman. “But the good news is we’ve got it
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