Learn more about Headaches
More than 70% of Americans will suffer headache pain severe enough to compel them to seek medical attention at some point during their lifetimes. A small but substantial minority of patients experience chronic daily or near daily headaches, which significantly impacts the quality of their lives and the lives of their families.
A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Tension headaches are due to tight, contracted muscles in the shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw often related to stress, depression, or anxiety. Overworking, not getting enough sleep, missing meals, and using alcohol or street drugs can increate susceptibility to headaches. They may also be triggered by chocolate, cheese, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). People who drink caffeine can have headaches when they don't get their usual daily amount. Other common causes include: holding the head in one position for a long time, a poor sleep position, overexertion, and clenching or grinding the teeth.
Patients can suffer from a variety of headache disorders including:
Migraines with and without auras
Migraines
Migraines are painful headaches often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. The National Headache Foundation estimates that 28 million Americans suffer from migraines. Each migraine can last from four hours to three days. Occasionally, it will last longer
What Causes Migraines?
The exact causes of migraines are unknown, although they are related to changes in the brain as well as to genetic causes. For many years, scientists believed that migraines were linked to expanding and constricting blood vessels on the brain's surface. However, it is now believed that migraines are caused by inherited abnormalities in certain areas of the brain.
Many migraines seem to be triggered by external factors. Possible triggers include:
- Emotional stress. This is one of the most common triggers of migraine headache. Migraine sufferers are generally highly affected by stressful events. Repressed emotions surrounding stress, such as anxiety, worry, excitement, and fatigue can increase muscle tension and dilated blood vessels can intensify the severity of the migraine.
- Sensitivity to specific chemicals and preservatives in foods. Certain foods and beverages, such as aged cheese, alcoholic beverages, and food additives such as nitrates (in pepperoni, hot dogs, luncheon meats) and monosodium glutamate (MSG, commonly found in Chinese food) may be responsible for triggering up to 30% of migraines.
- Caffeine. Excessive caffeine consumption or withdrawal from caffeine can cause headaches when the caffeine level abruptly drops. Caffeine is sometimes helpful in treating acute migraine attacks.
- Changing weather conditions.
- Menstrual periods.
- Excessive fatigue.
- Skipping meals.
- Changes in normal sleep pattern
Close Migraines Headaches
- Tension-type Headaches
Tension headaches
Tension headaches tend to be on both sides of the head, often starting at the back of the head and spreading forward. The pain may feel dull or squeezing, like a tight band or vice. Migraine headaches are severe, recurrent headaches generally accompanied by other symptoms like visual disturbances or nausea. They tend to begin on one side of the head, although the pain may spread to both sides. Often there is an "aura" (warning symptoms before the headache) followed by throbbing, pounding, or pulsating pain. Cluster headaches are sharp, extremely painful headaches that tend to occur several times per day for months and then go away for a similar period. Sinus headaches create pain in the front of the head and face due to inflammation in the sinus passages The pain tends to be worse when bending forward and when first waking up in the morning.
Close Tension Headaches
- Cluster Headaches
Cluster headache is the least-common type of primary headache condition, and occurs mostly in men. Although its causes remain unclear, its effects are distinct. Patients experience symptoms unlike a migraine, including an intense, stabbing pain around the eye or temple, lasting up to three hours. Headache doctors have found cluster headaches occur in periods or cycles, sometimes as often as several times a day during a cluster cycle.
Close Cluster Headaches
- Treatment Options
Treatment Options
We will always refer patients to appropriate medical or surgical colleagues if their headaches may be signs of other medical problems.
When no medical cause is found, as is the case with the majority of patients who have developed primary headache disorders, the goal is to tailor a regimen that effectively reduces the frequency and severity of headaches.
Our intent is to alleviate the pain in these patients as well as those patients with more episodic, but equally disruptive, headaches – restoring a sense of wellbeing and returning the patient to acceptable functional status
A headache diary can be helpful in identifying the source or trigger of the symptoms. Relief may come from resting with eyes closed and head supported. Relaxation techniques can help. A massage or heat applied to the back of the upper neck can be effective in relieving tension headaches. Try acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen for tension headaches. Prescription medications may also be effective for migraine headaches. Overuse and near daily use of over the counter analgesics like acetaminophen may lead to daily headaches. Worsening headaches are often due to overuse of analgesics and are the most common cause of chronic daily headaches. Diagnostic tests may be performed for serious headaches.
Close Treatment Options
