How Many Types Of Head Pain?

How Many Types Of Head Pain
Headache: What It Is, Types, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Headaches are a very common condition that most people will experience many times during their lives. The main symptom of a headache is pain in your head or face. There are several types of headaches, and tension headaches are the most common. Lifestyle factors that can trigger primary headaches include consuming alcohol, consuming nicotine, changes in sleep, poor posture and more. A headache is a pain in your head or face that’s often described as a pressure that’s throbbing, constant, sharp or dull.

  1. Headaches can differ greatly in regard to pain type, severity, location and frequency.
  2. Headaches are a very common condition that most people will experience many times during their lives.
  3. They’re the most common form of pain and are a major reason cited for days missed at work or school, as well as visits to healthcare providers.

While most headaches aren’t dangerous, certain types can be a sign of a more serious condition. There are more than 150 types of headaches. They fall into two main categories: primary and secondary headaches. Dysfunction or over-activity of pain-sensitive features in your head cause primary headaches.

  • Types of primary headaches include:
  • Some primary headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors or situations, including:
  • Primary headaches typically aren’t dangerous, but they can be very painful and disrupt your day-to-day life.

An underlying medical condition causes secondary headaches. They’re considered a symptom or sign of a condition. Types of secondary headaches that aren’t necessarily dangerous and resolve once the underlying condition is treated include:

Types of secondary headaches that can be a sign of a serious or potentially life-threatening condition include: : Spinal headaches are intense headaches that occur when spinal fluid leaks out of the membrane covering your spinal cord, usually after a,

Most spinal headaches can be treated at home, but prolonged, untreated spinal headaches can cause life-threatening complications, including subdural hematoma and, : A thunderclap headache is an extremely painful headache that comes on suddenly, like a clap of thunder. This type of headache reaches its most intense pain within one minute and lasts at least five minutes.

While thunderclap headaches can sometimes be harmless, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention. They can be a sign of: A migraine is a type of primary headache disorder. A migraine is a common neurological condition that causes a variety of symptoms, most notably a throbbing headache on one side of your head.

  • Migraines often get worse with physical activity, lights, sounds or smells.
  • They usually last at least four hours or even days.
  • Anyone can have a headache, including, adolescents and adults.
  • About 96% of people experience a headache at least once in their life.
  • About 40% of people across the world have tension-type headaches and about 10% have migraine headaches.

Headache pain results from signals interacting among your brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves. During a headache, multiple mechanisms activate specific nerves that affect muscles and blood vessels. These nerves send pain signals to your brain, causing a headache.

  • Eating certain foods or ingredients, like caffeine, alcohol, fermented foods, chocolate and cheese.
  • Exposure to allergens.
  • Secondhand smoke.
  • Strong odors from household chemicals or perfumes.

If you or your child has any of these headache symptoms, get medical care right away:

  • A sudden, new and severe headache.
  • Headache with a fever, shortness of breath, stiff neck or rash.
  • Headaches that occur after a head injury or accident.
  • Getting a new type of headache after age 55.

Also seek medical care right away if your headache is associated with neurological symptoms, such as:

  • Weakness.
  • Dizziness.
  • Sudden loss of balance or falling.
  • Numbness or tingling.
  • Paralysis.
  • Speech difficulties.
  • Mental confusion.
  • Seizures.
  • Personality changes/inappropriate behavior.
  • Vision changes (blurry vision, double vision or blind spots).

If you have headaches often or if they’re very severe, reach out to your healthcare provider. It’s important to diagnose headaches correctly so your provider can prescribe specific therapy to help you feel better. Your provider will complete a physical examination, discuss your medical history and talk to you about your headache symptoms.

  • What the headaches feel like.
  • How often the headaches happen.
  • How long the headaches last each time.
  • How much pain the headaches cause you.
  • What foods, drinks or events trigger your headaches.
  • How much caffeine you drink each day.
  • What your stress level is.
  • What your sleep habits are like.

Your headache can be more accurately diagnosed by knowing:

  • When the headache started.
  • Whether there’s a single type of headache or multiple types of headaches.
  • If physical activity aggravates the headache pain.
  • Who else in your family has headaches.
  • What symptoms, if any, occur between headaches.

After completing the medical history part of the evaluation, your provider may perform physical and neurological examinations. They’ll look for signs and symptoms of an illness or condition that may be causing the headache, including:

  • Fever.
  • Infection.
  • Muscle weakness, numbness or tingling.
  • Excessive fatigue.
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Balance problems and frequent falls.
  • Vision problems (blurry vision, double vision, blind spots).
  • Mental confusion or personality changes.
  • Seizures.
  • Dizziness.
  • Nausea and vomiting.

Neurological tests focus on ruling out diseases that might also cause headaches. A disorder of your central nervous system might be suspected in the development of serious headaches.

  1. After evaluating the results of your headache history, physical examination and neurological examination, your physician should be able to determine what type of headache you have, whether or not a serious problem is present and whether additional tests are needed.
  2. If they’re unsure of the cause, they may refer you to a headache specialist.
  3. Although scans and other imagining tests can be important when ruling out other diseases, they don’t help in diagnosing migraines, cluster or tension-type headaches.
  4. But if your healthcare provider thinks that your headaches are being caused by another medical condition, there are several imaging tests they may order.

A or can help determine if your headaches are connected to an issue with your central nervous system. Both of these tests produce cross-sectional images of your brain that can show any abnormal areas or problems. Treatment for headaches depends on the type.

  • One of the most crucial aspects of treating primary headaches is figuring out your triggers.
  • Learning what those are — typically by keeping a headache log — can reduce the number of headaches you have.
  • Once you know your triggers, your healthcare provider can tailor treatment to you.
  • For example, you may get headaches when you’re tense or worried.

Counseling and techniques can help you handle this trigger better. By lowering your stress level, you can avoid stress-induced headaches. Not every headache requires medication. A range of treatments is available. Depending on your headache type, frequency and cause, treatment options include:

  • Stress management.
  • Biofeedback.
  • Medications.
  • Treating the underlying medical condition/cause.

Stress management teaches you ways to cope with stressful situations. help manage stress. You use deep breathing, muscle relaxation, mental images and music to ease your tension. teaches you to recognize when tension is building in your body. You learn how your body responds to stressful situations and ways to settle it down.

  • Breathing rate.
  • Pulse.
  • Heart rate.
  • Temperature.
  • Muscle tension.
  • Brain activity.
You might be interested:  How To Treat A Pinched Nerve In Back?

Occasional tension headaches usually respond well to, But be aware that using these medications too often can lead to long-term daily headaches (medication overuse headaches). For frequent or severe headaches, your provider may recommend prescription,

  • Treatment for secondary headaches involves treating the underlying medical condition causing it.
  • For example, surgery is often needed to correct the underlying cause of secondary cough headache.
  • You can treat the occasional, mild headache at home with over-the-counter pain relievers. Other self-care treatments for headaches include:
  • Applying heat or cold packs to your head.
  • Doing stretching exercises.
  • Massaging your head, neck or back.
  • Resting in a dark and quiet room.
  • Taking a walk.

The key to preventing headaches is figuring out what triggers them. Triggers are very specific to each person — what gives you a headache may not be a problem for others. Once you determine your triggers, you can avoid or minimize them. For example, you may find that strong scents set you off.

Avoiding perfumes and scented products can make a big difference in how many headaches you have. The same goes for other common triggers like troublesome foods, lack of sleep and poor posture. Many people, however, aren’t able to avoid triggers or are unable to identify triggers. In that 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 head pain. Recently, there have been several new advancements in our understanding of what causes headaches. Although researchers are closer than ever before to a cure, at this time, there isn’t a cure for primary headaches.

  • Experiencing one or more headaches per week.
  • Experiencing headaches that keep getting worse and won’t go away.
  • Needing to take a pain reliever every day or almost every day for your headaches.
  • Needing more than two to three doses of over-the-counter medications per week to relieve headache symptoms.
  • Experiencing headaches that are triggered by exertion, coughing, bending or strenuous activity.
  • Having a history of headaches but experiencing a recent change in your headache symptoms.

A note from Cleveland Clinic If your headaches are interfering with your daily functioning or affecting your mood, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider. If possible, try to write down how you feel when you’re experiencing a headache. Keeping a journal of your headaches and how they make you feel can be helpful when you’re talking to your provider.

Contents

What type of headaches are serious?

Your headache comes on suddenly and is explosive or violent. Your headache is ‘the worst ever,’ even if you regularly get headaches. You also have slurred speech, a change in vision, problems moving your arms or legs, loss of balance, confusion, or memory loss with your headache. Your headache gets worse over 24 hours.

Where are stress headaches located?

Symptoms – Signs and symptoms of a tension-type headache include:

Dull, aching head pain Sensation of tightness or pressure across the forehead or on the sides and back of the head Tenderness in the scalp, neck and shoulder muscles

Tension-type headaches are divided into two main categories — episodic and chronic.

What causes brain headaches?

Primary headaches – A primary headache is caused by overactivity of or problems with pain-sensitive structures in your head. A primary headache isn’t a symptom of an underlying disease. Chemical activity in your brain, the nerves or blood vessels surrounding your skull, or the muscles of your head and neck (or some combination of these factors) can play a role in primary headaches.

Cluster headache Migraine Migraine with aura Tension headache Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC), such as cluster headache and paroxysmal hemicrania

A few headache patterns also are generally considered types of primary headache, but are less common. These headaches have distinct features, such as an unusual duration or pain associated with a certain activity. Although generally considered primary, each could be a symptom of an underlying disease. They include:

Chronic daily headaches (for example, chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, or hemicranias continua) Cough headaches Exercise headaches Sex headaches

Some primary headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors, including:

Alcohol, particularly red wineCertain foods, such as processed meats that contain nitratesChanges in sleep or lack of sleepPoor postureSkipped mealsStress

Are headaches in the brain?

Headache Pain What To Do When Your Head Hurts Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have.

Headaches might arise because of another medical condition, such as swollen sinuses or head injury. In these cases, treating the underlying problem usually relieves headache pain as well. But most headaches—including tension headaches and migraines—aren’t caused by a separate illness. A headache may feel like a pain inside your brain, but it’s not.

Most headaches begin in the many nerves of the muscles and blood vessels that surround your head, neck, and face. These pain-sensing nerves can be set off by stress, muscle tension, enlarged blood vessels, and other triggers. Once activated, the nerves send messages to the brain, and it can feel like the pain is coming from deep within your head.

  1. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache.
  2. They can cause a feeling of painful pressure on the head and neck.
  3. Tension headaches occur when the muscles in your head and neck tighten, often because of stress or anxiety.
  4. Intense work, missed meals, jaw clenching, or too little sleep can bring on tension headaches.

Over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen can help reduce the pain. “Lifestyle changes to relax and reduce stress might help, such as yoga, stretching, massage, and other tension relievers,” says Dr. Linda Porter, an NIH expert on pain research.

Migraines are the second-most common type of headache. They affect more than 1 in 10 people. Migraines tend to run in families and most often affect women. The pain can be severe, with pulsing and throbbing, and can last for several days. Migraine symptoms can also include blurry vision and nausea. “Migraines are complex and can be disabling,” Porter says.

Certain smells, noises, or bright flashing lights can bring on a migraine. Other triggers include lack of sleep, certain foods, skipped meals, smoking, stress, or even an approaching thunderstorm. Keeping a headache diary can help to identify the specific causes of your migraines.

  • Avoiding those triggers or using prescription medications could help prevent or lessen the severity of future migraines.
  • Be careful not to overuse headache medications.
  • Overuse can cause “rebound” headaches, making headaches more frequent and painful.
  • People with repeating headaches, such as migraines or tension headaches, are especially at risk.
You might be interested:  What Is The Best Cushion For Coccyx Pain?

Experts advise not taking certain pain-relief medicines for headaches more than 3 times a week. A less common but more severe type of headache comes on suddenly in “clusters” at the same time of day or night for weeks. Cluster headaches may strike one side of the head, often near one eye, with a sharp or burning pain.

  • These headaches are more common in men and in smokers.
  • In rare cases, a headache may warn of a serious illness.
  • Get medical help right away if you have a headache after a blow to your head, or if you have a headache along with fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, or pain in the eye or ear.
  • Now what kind of headache you have and, if you can’t manage it yourself, seek help,” Porter says.

“Remember there are preventive behavioral steps and medicines that can help manage headaches. But if the pain is severe or lasting, get medical care.” : Headache Pain

Why do I get headache everyday?

Causes – The causes of many chronic daily headaches aren’t well-understood. True (primary) chronic daily headaches don’t have an identifiable underlying cause. Conditions that might cause nonprimary chronic daily headaches include:

Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke Infections, such as meningitis Intracranial pressure that’s either too high or too low Brain tumor Traumatic brain injury

What is migraine pain?

What is a migraine? A Mayo Clinic expert explains – Learning about migraine disorder can be intimidating. Amaal Starling, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, walks you through the facts, the questions, and the answers to help you better understand this condition.

Hi, I’m Dr. Amaal Starling, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic specializing in headache disorders. In this video, we will cover the basics of migraine. What is it? Who gets it, the symptoms, the diagnosis, and most importantly, the treatment. Whether you’re looking for answers for yourself or someone you love, we are here to give you the best information available.

There is a lot of stigma around migraine. That it’s just a headache and that it’s no big deal. But migraine is a genetic neurologic disease. It affects each person differently with a wide range of disease severity. Some have infrequent attacks, but others may have frequent disabling attacks.

  • Expecting someone to push through or just take your mind off of it is never good advice.
  • Who gets it? Migraine is very common, affecting one in five women, one in 16 men, and even one in 11 children.
  • Migraine attacks are three times more prevalent in women, likely as a result of hormonal differences.
  • Certainly genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of migraine disease.

And since it is genetic, it is hereditary. Meaning if a parent has migraine, there’s about a 50 percent chance that a child may develop migraine as well. If you have migraine, certain factors can trigger an attack. However, this does not mean that if you get a migraine attack, that it’s their fault, that you should feel any guilt or shame for your symptoms.

  • Hormonal changes, specifically fluctuations and estrogen that can occur during menstrual periods, pregnancy and perimenopause can trigger a migraine attack.
  • Other known triggers include certain medications, drinking alcohol, especially red wine, drinking too much caffeine, stress.
  • Sensory stimulation such as bright lights or strong smells.

Sleep changes, weather changes, skipping meals or even certain foods like aged cheeses and processed foods. What are the symptoms? The most common symptom of migraine is the intense throbbing head pain. This pain can be so severe that it interferes with your day-to-day activities.

It can also be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as sensitivity to light and sound. However, a migraine can look very different from one person to another. Some people may get prodrome symptoms, the beginning of a migraine attack. These can be subtle warnings such as constipation, mood changes, food cravings, neck stiffness, increased urination, or even frequent yawning.

Sometimes people may not even realize that these are warning signs of a migraine attack. In about a third of people living with migraine, aura might occur before or even during a migraine attack. Aura is the term that we use for these temporary reversible neurologic symptoms.

  • They’re usually visual, but they can include other neurologic symptoms as well.
  • They typically built up over several minutes and they can last for up to an hour.
  • Examples of migraine aura include visual phenomena such as seeing geometric shapes or bright spots, or flashing lights, or even loss of vision.

Some people may develop numbness or a pins and needles sensation on one side of their face or body, or even difficulty speaking. At the end of a migraine attack, you might feel drained, confused, or washed out for up to a day. This is called the post-drome phase.

How is it diagnosed? Migraine is a clinical diagnosis. That means the diagnosis is based on the symptoms reported by the patient. There is no lab test or imaging study that can rule in or rule out migraine. Based on screening diagnostic criteria, if you have the symptoms of headache associated with sensitivity to light, a decrease in function and nausea, you likely have migraine.

Please see your healthcare professional for the possible diagnosis of migraine and migraine specific treatment. How is it treated? Because there is such a wide spectrum of disease severity with migraine, there’s also a wide spectrum of management plans.

Some people need what we call an acute or a rescue treatment for infrequent migraine attacks. Whereas other people need both an acute and a preventive treatment plan. Preventive treatment reduces the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. It might be a daily oral medication, a monthly injection, or even injections and infusions that are delivered once every three months.

The right medications combined with lifestyle changes can be helpful to improve the lives of those living with migraine. There are ways to manage and minimize the triggers of migraine using the SEEDS method. The S is for sleep. Improve your sleep routine by sticking to a specific schedule, reducing screens and distractions at night.

E is for exercise. Start small, even five minutes once a week and slowly increase the duration and frequency to make it a habit. And stick to movement and activities that you enjoy. E is for eat healthy, well-balanced meals at least three times a day and stay hydrated. The D is for diary. Track your migraine days and symptoms in a diary.

Use a calendar, an agenda, or an app. Bring that diary with you to your follow-up appointments with your doctor to review. The S is for stress management to help manage migraine attacks triggered by stress. Consider therapy, mindfulness, biofeedback, and other relaxation techniques that work for you.

  • What now? Migraine attacks can be disabling, but there are ways to manage the disease and to empower yourself to get the care and the support that you need. First.
  • We need to end the stigma around migraine.
  • It is not just a headache, it is a genetic neurologic disease.
  • Next, talk to your healthcare professional about your symptoms.
You might be interested:  How To Treat Black Beard Algae?

Eradicate the words “I’m fine” from your vocabulary and be honest with your healthcare professional, your employer, your loved ones, about how you’re feeling as well as the kind of support that you need. Make yourself a top priority when you’re having a migraine attack and reduce the likelihood of attacks through lifestyle adjustments.

  1. Have a consistent schedule, get adequate sleep, and learn strategies to cope with the stresses of life using mindfulness and meditation.
  2. Empower yourself to manage migraine with lifestyle changes and migraine specific treatment options.
  3. Together you and your doctor can manage the disease of migraine.
  4. If you’d like to learn more about migraine, watch or other related videos or visit mayoclinic.org.

We wish you well. A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.

  1. For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache.
  2. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashes of light or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg and difficulty speaking.
  3. Medications can help prevent some migraines and make them less painful.

The right medicines, combined with self-help remedies and lifestyle changes, might help.

What headaches are normal?

Tension headaches – Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They’re what we think of as normal, ‘everyday’ headaches. They feel like a constant ache that affects both sides of the head, as though a tight band is stretched around it. Normally, tension headaches are not severe enough to prevent you doing everyday activities.

Is my headache a brain tumor?

Brain, Nerves and Spine A bad headache can be scary. It’s hard not to think the worst if you’re unlucky enough to suffer with severe headaches, If the pain lasts or recurs, you may wonder if you have a serious problem such as a brain tumor, Here’s the reassuring truth: Headache, by itself, is rarely caused by a tumor.

Can anxiety cause headaches?

Anxiety Headache Causes – Does anxiety cause headaches, or is it the other way around? The answer’s not so simple. Headaches are a common symptom of different types of anxiety, like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). That’s a condition where you constantly worry and find it really hard to control your anxiety.

  • Headaches are one of the signs doctors look for when they check for GAD,
  • Often, though, it’s not clear how to tease apart cause and effect when it comes to anxiety and headaches.
  • It may be that if you’re someone who’s more likely to get one of those problems, your chances go up that you’ll get the other.

For example:

Some folks have a history of migraines before they have GAD or other anxiety issues. Others have anxiety first and develop migraines later.People with migraines are more likely to have anxiety and depression, When you have all three, it usually starts with anxiety, then migraines kick in, and then depression shows up.For people who don’t typically get as many headaches, anxiety increases the odds of getting them more often.

Things that may contribute to anxiety headaches include:

Stress High sensitivity to painMuscle tensionLack of sleep Low serotonin levelsGeneral anxiety disorder

When should I worry about a headache?

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if: –

your headache keeps coming backpainkillers do not help and your headache gets worseyou have a bad throbbing pain at the front or side of your head – it could be a migraine or, more rarely, a cluster headache you feel sick, vomit and find light or noise painful

How does anxiety headache feel like?

Tension Headache – Tension headaches are common for people that struggle with severe anxiety or anxiety disorders. Tension headaches can be described as severe pressure, a heavy head, migraine, head pressure, or feeling like there is a tight band wrapped around their head.

  1. These headaches are due to a tightening of the neck and scalp muscles.
  2. You may be constantly tightening your neck and scalp muscles as a reaction to your anxiety, thus overtime causing a tension headache.
  3. It is not surprising you may experience a heavy head due to the physical stress that the body endures during continuous and extreme levels of stress.

If this is something you are constantly trying to cope with, to the point where it is interfering with your life, you may have an anxiety disorder. If this is the case be sure to seek consultation from a professional.

Can stress cause headaches everyday?

What exactly is a stress headache? – You have likely experienced many different types of headaches – which can range from sinus to migraines. So, how can you tell if your headache may be caused by stress? Tension or stress headache symptoms tend to follow a certain pattern. iii

A stress headache will normally be a mild or moderately painful dull ache. Stress headache pain will often feel like a tight band around your head – front, sides and back. Your scalp, neck and shoulders may also feel sore or tender. Stress headaches can be either episodic (short-lasting and occurring less than 15 days per month) or chronic (blending together and occurring 15 or more days per month). Unlike migraines, stress headaches aren’t typically aggravated by light, sound or physical activity.

Call your doctor if your headache gets worse, or if you develop other symptoms – including vision problems, dizziness or a stiff neck. While stress headaches are very common, your headache may be a symptom of another condition.

Why do I get headache everyday?

Causes – The causes of many chronic daily headaches aren’t well-understood. True (primary) chronic daily headaches don’t have an identifiable underlying cause. Conditions that might cause nonprimary chronic daily headaches include:

Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke Infections, such as meningitis Intracranial pressure that’s either too high or too low Brain tumor Traumatic brain injury

What is the most severe headache?

Overview – Thunderclap headaches live up to their name, striking suddenly like a clap of thunder. The pain of these severe headaches peaks within 60 seconds. Thunderclap headaches are uncommon, but they can warn of potentially life-threatening conditions — usually having to do with bleeding in and around the brain. Seek emergency medical attention for a thunderclap headache.