For many of us, headache is not a problem, because it easily goes away after taking a painkiller. And when the pill stops helping, we don't go to the doctor, but switch to stronger medications and even injections.
Unfortunately, the consequences are time lost. The time when you could, but didn't want to discover the problem that your body is persistently signaling. After all, headaches are not an independent disease, they can be a symptom of serious illnesses. Only a doctor should diagnose and treat them.
Why does the headache occur?
As a rule, it is not the whole headache, but some part of it. Causes of headache depending on its localization:
the temple area can hurt with sudden changes in blood pressure, with poisoning of the body with toxins or infectious diseases;
headache in the back of the headache is caused by high blood pressure, problems with the cervical spine (osteochondrosis, spondylosis) or hypertonicity of the neck and collar zone muscles;
If the forehead hurts, it may be an inflammatory disease of the sinuses - Frontitis. It could also be a sign of increased intracranial pressure or occipital nerve impingement. Such pain accompanies very severe diseases - meningitis, pneumonia, malaria, typhoid;
If the painful sensations arise around the eyes - this is a sign of migraine, vegetative vascular dystonia. Eye diseases, including glaucoma, may also manifest themselves in this way.
Be careful if your head hurts regularly, with a certain cyclicity. This is a clear and specific signal - you have chronic diseases, or the level of stress and hard work is very high.
Different intensity of headaches
Headaches in a particular area can be of varying intensity: from sharp and sudden attacks, to prolonged debilitating ones. This is also valuable diagnostic information.
The intensity of the pain in the head can be:
Severe, sometimes unbearable. Causes of such pain include migraines, pressure fluctuations, maxillary sinusitis, craniocerebral injuries, or infections. If the pain does not subside over time, but increases, it means that the painful process is progressing.
Prolonged. This is a very serious SOS signal that only our body can give. It may indicate nervous system lesions of infectious nature, meningitis, tuberculosis, parasitic diseases, and even a brain tumor. Frequent headaches are especially worrisome.
Pulsating. This is most often how a migraine manifests itself. However, it can also be a vascular disease - brain damage, violation of the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid or venous outflow. Pulsating pain is caused by certain types of infectious lesions, otitis media, glaucoma. A severe and prolonged pulsating headache is especially dangerous.
Sudden. It is usually caused by a spasm of blood vessels in the brain. This happens in the case of a pinched nerve in cervical osteochondrosis, in a vascular crisis. Very dangerous is a rupture of an aneurysm, or intracranial hemorrhage. But a sharp headache often occurs as a consequence of stress, if a person is overexcited or poisoned by low-quality products.
What diseases are accompanied by a headache
Only a doctor can establish a diagnosis, after several stages of examination. After all, with similar symptoms, the causes of headaches are different. Here is a list of the main diseases that are accompanied by pain in the head area:
Migraine. A strong headache, often - pulsating, a person is nauseated, irritated by light, smells. There is a general weakness, a desire to lie down. Often the pain involves one side of the face. A migraine attack may last for a few hours, or 2-3 days.
Tension headache. The most common type of illness. Usually the headache is not severe, but the painful sensations return again and again. Can last for 6-7 days. The pain squeezes the skull, localizes in the back of the head, frontal part, parietal or spreads to all parts. This type of pain occurs in people who work sedentary, drive for long periods, or are constantly stressed. Their shoulder girdle is so stiff that it doesn't relax even while they are sleeping. The permeability of muscles, nerve impulses, and tissue nutrition is impaired.
Cluster disease. Very hard to bear by patients, sometimes progressing to a continuous form. Pain throbbing on one side of the head, compresses the eye or part of the forehead. The eye begins to tear and swell. The peak of the attack lasts from an hour and a half to an hour and a half. Cluster pains affect men more often.
Pain provoked by infections. It is accompanied by chills, fever. The pain presses on the temples, eyes, forehead. With acute respiratory viral infections, the symptoms are joined by a cough and runny nose. With meningitis, the pain is severe, throbbing, accompanied by vomiting.
Pain resulting from trauma. Their nature and intensity depends on the nature of the injury. They are characteristic of concussion, skull injury, dislocation of vertebrae in the cervical spine. And the discomfort may occur immediately, or it may occur some time later.
Sinus pain. Accompanies inflammation of the sinuses, so it is localized in the frontal part of the head or near the nose. The patient has a runny nose, nasal congestion. You can get rid of it only by treating the main disease.
Pain provoked by intracranial pressure. This is a massive, intense pain, covering the entire surface of the head and the area around the eyes. Patients describe them as pressing or crushing. It is not uncommon for the person to feel nauseous and have difficulty tolerating bright light.
Pain occurring when the trigeminal nerve is affected. Severe, short-lived (2 to 5 seconds), but very painful. Appears suddenly in any part of the face. Most often, trigeminal nerve inflammation occurs in people with unhealthy teeth and oral problems.
What tests you should have
With complaints of headache you should go to a general practitioner. First, the doctor collects the anamnesis - specifies the nature, localization, and duration of the headache. Recollect when it occurred for the first time and how often it recurs. In order to exclude additional factors that may provoke attacks, you should be examined by a neurologist, ENT doctor, ophthalmologist and visit the dental office. They will be able to accurately identify the causes and types of headaches and prescribe treatment.Your doctor may recommend the following examinations:
Electroencephalography - a study of the condition of the brain. This reveals vascular and tumor abnormalities, hematomas;
X-rays - will show whether there are no signs of hydrocephalus, whether there was no head trauma or sinusitis;
magnetic resonance imaging - so you can find tumors, cerebral circulation problems, diseases of the sinuses, the effects of a stroke.
computed tomography - in this way you can determine if there are cerebral hemorrhages, what is the structure of the brain tissue and vessels;
electromyography - determines lesions of neural connections and nerves;
Neck vascular ultrasound with Doppler - a popular procedure detects atherosclerosis, vascular and blood flow abnormalities, aneurysms;
Laboratory tests - tests help detect inflammation, infection, cholesterol metabolism problems, and autoimmune processes.
Treatment
The consequences of headaches can be very serious. The more frequent and severe the headaches, the more serious their consequences become - up to muscle spasm and brain hypoxia. In addition, the underlying disease will inevitably begin to progress.
Treatment of headache is not limited to the use of drugs - although taking anti-inflammatory, analgesic and local analgesics is an important part of treatment. For example, a course of medication blocks is very helpful.
A good help in the treatment of headaches will be:
Manual therapy - a method of influence by manual massage techniques on the spine. It is especially effective for migraine and tension pain;
massage techniques. Effective for recovery after injuries and for chronic migraines;
Acupuncture - treatment with medical needles through specific points on the body. This way it is possible to activate the work of the organs connected with certain nerve endings and start the process of self-recovery;
Osteopathy - in this case muscle clamps and changes in joints and organs are worked through with the help of special massage techniques of the points on the patient's body;
physiotherapy - treatment with ultrasound, alternating or constant weak electric and magnetic fields, and exposure to heat. It is effective for different types of headaches;
Therapeutic exercise - moderate physical activity, especially good for treating post-traumatic conditions and overstrain pains;
Botox injections - if muscles are constrained by spasm, a Botox injection will relax an area of the body and relieve a headache;
Extracorporeal hemocorrection - a method based on purifying the blood from excess cholesterol and toxic substances. It has proven excellent in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and pathologies of the immune system;
folk remedies. For the most part, grandmother's lotions and incantations can be recommended not in every case, and only as a method of self-soothing. Preparing decoctions and compresses can miss precious time and miss the early stages of the disease. Therefore, in any case, the first thing to consult a doctor.
How to prevent headaches
The best prevention of headaches is a healthy lifestyle and the ability to avoid stress.
The main conditions for this:
A proper diet. The food must not contain toxins, not provoke the appearance of excess weight and supply the body with the necessary vitamins and amino acids;
physical activity. Enough and moderate exercise, workout during the day, swimming, running and hippotherapy will keep the muscles toned and prevent the occurrence of muscle cramps;
Absence of bad habits. Alcohol, smoking, abuse of coffee and energy drinks are the first harbingers of imminent headaches. Take care of yourself.
Get a good night sleep. This is the only way for the body to get a good rest and regain its strength.
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