Types of headaches: how they differ and how to get rid of each of them

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Understanding the types of pain is important in order to find the most effective treatment.

According to Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do from Harvard Medical School, there are over 300 different types of headaches. Doctors share Headaches. Causes them into two broad categories:

• Primary. This is the name for pain that is not caused by any disease. They are usually caused by external factors (for example, overwork, excessive alcohol consumption, changes in weather, lack of sleep) or increased activity in some areas of the brain associated with pain sensitivity. Primary headaches can be very unpleasant, but most of the time they are not dangerous.
• Secondary. In this case, the headache is a symptom of some underlying disease or process in the body. These can be Headaches infections (flu, sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis), allergies, hypertension, head trauma, tumors. Some of the diseases signaled by a secondary headache are dangerous.

When to call an ambulance

Call 103, 112 urgently, or go to the nearest emergency room immediately if there are other symptoms besides severe pain. Headaches: When To See A Doctor:

• The temperature is over 39 ° C.
• Difficulty understanding speech.
• Slurred speech, tangled language, unnatural pauses between words.
• Sudden vision problems: blurred, blurred, white or dark spots in front of the eyes.
• Numbness, weakness, or paralysis on one side of the body.
• Stiff neck muscles. It manifests itself in the fact that a person cannot tilt his head back, to his shoulders or press his chin to his chest.
• Rocking, uneven gait.
• Confused consciousness.
• Fainting.
• Nausea or vomiting (unless clearly related to the flu or hangover).

All this can indicate a serious infection, acute cerebrovascular accident and other serious health problems that, without timely assistance, can even lead to death.

And only if there are no threatening symptoms, it makes sense to listen to the sensations in order to determine the type of headache and understand how to cope with it.

What are the most common types of primary headache

These Headaches are the most common. Causes.

1. Tension headache

This is the most popular type of primary headache: Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do in adults experience it at one time or another in their lives.

How to recognize

A typical tension headache is dull, pressing, covers the head on both sides and does not pulsate. Sometimes painful sensations can be given to the shoulders and neck. Typically, this type of pain occurs when you work long and hard or are experiencing prolonged emotional stress.

What to do

As a rule, tension headaches do not last long: from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. To relieve discomfort, most often it is enough to drink an over-the-counter pain reliever, for example, based on paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen. Some people benefit from a nap or a light snack.

2. Migraine

This type of primary headache is less common than the previous one, but manifests itself much more unpleasantly. Women suffer from migraines two to three times more often Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do men.

How to recognize

A typical migraine occurs on one side of the head, most often affecting the eye and temple, and then spreading to the back of the head. The pain is pulsating, aggravated by bright light or loud sounds, and is often accompanied by nausea.

In about 20% of Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do cases, the migraine is preceded by a so-called aura. Most often, it manifests itself as visual impairment: sparks, flickering lights, zigzag lines appear before the eyes. Also, the aura can include tingling on one side of the face or in one hand and some difficulty speaking.

What to do

Signs of aura are similar to those of a stroke. Therefore, if you have such feelings for the first time, immediately call an ambulance.

If the migraine goes away without additional symptoms, you can try to relieve the discomfort with the same over-the-counter pain relievers. It is only important to take them at the very beginning of the attack.

However, for some people, over-the-counter pills do not work and may require more potent drugs. As a rule, these are drugs from the triptan group. Just keep in mind that they have contraindications, so you need to select them with the help of a therapist. If necessary, your doctor will prescribe other drugs for you that will help in the fight against pain: beta-blockers, antidepressants, anticonvulsants.

3. Cluster headache

Another common type of primary headache. Unlike migraines, it affects mostly men - five times more often Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do women.

The typical cluster headache patient is a middle-aged, long-term smoker.

However, such symptoms can occur in both sexes and at any age.

How to recognize

Headache occurs in groups (clusters) - from one to eight attacks a day for 1-3 months a year. This happens most often in spring or autumn.

Each attack begins suddenly and lasts 30-60 minutes. The pain always affects only one side of the head, usually behind the eye. It is intense, throbbing, and may be accompanied by nasal congestion, watery eyes (on the affected side), nausea, increased sensitivity to light and sounds.

What to do

Conventional pain pills are ineffective in the case of clusters. This type of pain is treated with oxygen therapy (inhaling oxygen at the first sign of deterioration in health can stop the attack), drugs from the triptan group (preferably in the form of injections), local anesthetics, and other medications. Funds are always selected individually. This can only be done by a qualified doctor - therapist or other specialist to whom he will refer you.

What are the most common types of secondary headaches

If the list of primary headaches is not too long, then there are dozens of secondary headaches. The following several types of secondary headaches are most often mentioned on various medical resources.

1. Headache of the sinuses (sinuses)

It occurs as a symptom of a buildup of mucus in the sinuses, the air-filled cavities in the front of the head (sinuses). This happens with various infectious diseases, such as colds, as well as with seasonal allergies. Mucus presses on the walls of the sinuses, causing bursting painful sensations.

How to recognize

Acute sinusitis manifests itself as Headaches: When To Worry And What To Do itself with pressing pain in the forehead, nose, and around the eyes. If you tilt your head forward, the discomfort will intensify.

In addition, congestion and thick discharge from the nose, as well as fever, are indirect signs of sinus problems.

What to do

Sinus headaches are treated by thinning mucus that has filled the sinuses. For these purposes, OTC decongestant nasal drops are suitable, as well as, in the case of allergies, antihistamines.

If sinus inflammation is associated with a bacterial infection, antibiotics will be needed. They are prescribed only by a therapist or otolaryngologist: only a specialist will be able to choose exactly those funds that will be effective in your case.

2. Hormonal headache

This type of secondary headache is Headaches and hormones: What’s the connection? the consequence of hormonal fluctuations in the body. Typically, it affects women who are experiencing ovulation, PMS, menstruation, or pregnancy.

How to recognize

Hormonal pain can be of a different nature: it can be pressing, throbbing, sharp or dull. This type can be assumed by the time of occurrence. If you usually feel fine, but at a certain period of the monthly cycle your head starts to split, most likely we are talking about hormonal pain.

What to do

Conventional over-the-counter pain relievers do well here. Alternative remedies can also help: a variety of relaxation techniques, yoga, acupuncture.

3. Exercise-related headache

This type of discomfort occurs immediately after intense exercise: running, sex, lifting weights. It is sometimes referred to as Headaches. Causes to primary headaches. But serious illnesses can also provoke such symptoms.

How to recognize

Exercise causes blood flow to the skull. People experience this as a throbbing pain that engulfs the head on both sides.

What to do

Exercise-induced pain usually lasts a few minutes (in rare cases, a couple of hours). It is enough to catch your breath, rest a little - and the unpleasant sensations will recede by themselves. To speed up the process, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

However, if such headaches occur constantly, you need to consult a therapist as soon as possible. This could be a sign of serious circulatory problems.

4. Post-traumatic headache

This type of pain can develop after any head injury. The attacks gradually get weaker and stop on average after 6–12 months. Post-Traumatic Headache. But in some cases, such conditions become chronic.

How to recognize

If you have had a head injury and now regularly experience pain similar to tension headaches or migraines, this may be the post-traumatic type.

What to do

You can try to relieve the attack with regular over-the-counter pills. If they do not help or have to be taken too often, your therapist will prescribe medications from the triptan group or beta-blockers.

When to see a doctor

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the type of headache. For example, the more intense the pain of tension becomes, the more it resembles What type of headache do you have? migraine. The converse is also true: the longer a migraine lasts, the more it looks like a tension headache. It is also easy to confuse sinus headaches with a migraine headache. And the unpleasant throbbing in the head that occurs during exercise can be a sign of a serious illness.

Only a qualified doctor is able to understand such confusing cases. Be sure to contact a therapist as soon as possible if:

• you have three or more headaches per week;
• the discomfort is getting worse;
• you have to take pain pills two to three times a week or more;
• headaches regularly occur with physical exertion, bending, coughing or after any activity (walking, cleaning);
• you have had headaches, but now their manifestations have changed - for example, before you faced mainly dull pressing pain, but now it has become acute and throbbing.

The doctor will ask you about your symptoms and lifestyle, conduct an examination, look at your medical history, and inquire about what medications you are taking. You may receive a referral to a neurologist to rule out neurological diseases (for example, multiple sclerosis) and disorders of the central nervous system.

After the diagnosis is made, the specialist will select medications and give recommendations that will help you get rid of your headache.