Cephalgia is a syndrome of chronic headache, a common phenomenon, especially among residents of megacities. Constant noise, conflict situations in the workplace, difficulties in the family and many other factors cause a severe headache. This problem prevents a person from living a full life.
The sleep pattern is disturbed, there is no desire and strength to do your favorite hobby or sport. In addition, pain in the head can negatively affect the visual apparatus and human memory. Over time, during the transition to a chronic form, headaches provoke health problems, malaise, weakness in a certain part of the body appear.
In order to prejudice the further development of the disease and stop the consequences of migraines in a timely manner, it is necessary to establish why the head constantly hurts, as well as undergo appropriate treatment and prevention.
Possible reasons
There are many reasons why a headache can constantly hurt. Not all are associated with specific deviations in a person's well-being. Migraines can be triggered by internal and external factors. Internal factors relate to human health problems, the presence of congenital pathologies, etc. External factors are the causes leading to migraines. These can be conflict situations, stress, depression, etc.
Consider the reasons why the head constantly hurts:
- Jumps in blood pressure. The pain in the head is aggravated by hypertension.
- In weather-dependent people, migraines can appear during weather changes.
- Stretching of the blood vessels.
- Osteochondrosis in a developed form.
- Psycho-emotional factors (depression, stress, disorder).
- Giant cell arteritis.
- Pathological deviations in metabolism.
- Congenital pathologies of the facial structure.
- Diseases of the kidneys.
Pain in the head can appear even with a common cold, as a side effect. If migraines occur sporadically, in an uncontrolled manner and no more than once every two weeks, there is no cause for concern. If your head constantly hurts, and the pain becomes regular, and also appears more than once a week, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Why Pills Don't Help
Everyone has experienced a situation where painkillers do not help with a headache. Why is this happening?
Standard painkillers relax the blood vessels in the head, which leads to the elimination of pain. Medicines that stabilize blood pressure work in a similar way. But, with prolonged use of the same drug, the human body develops immunity, and you have to buy stronger drugs.
If stress is the cause of the pain, then the problem is not in the arteries or blood vessels, but in the central nervous system. Painkillers cannot affect the central nervous system, so the discomfort remains the same.
Depending on the cause of the pain, headache pills may or may not help. It should be established what is the cause of migraine and only then take the appropriate medicine. Prolonged use of painkillers will only harm a person.
How to behave
If headaches become chronic, you need to know the standard algorithm of actions to muffle discomfort.
You can eliminate the unpleasant state in the following ways:
- Go to bed is the best solution to this problem. Sleep helps with mild to moderate pain. Unfortunately, if your head hurts all the time and there is a pulsation, sleep will not help.
- Mute all devices, turn off your TV or laptop, put your phone away. The tension of sensory systems often becomes a provoking factor, as a result of which, acute pain sensations in the head increase.
- Provoke vomiting. Provided that a person has high blood pressure or food poisoning, with the help of vomiting, you can get rid of uncomfortable sensations at least partially.
- Drink sweet hot tea. When glucose enters the body, the central nervous system calms down, and a person can fall asleep peacefully. It is recommended to drink chamomile tea as it has strong sedative properties.
It is recommended to keep strong painkillers in the home first aid kit, but due to mild pain in the head, you should not take them. It is enough to drink 2 tablets of analgin to muffle the pain. To eliminate spasms and alleviate the current condition, you can do cold compresses on the forehead. Wet a washcloth with cold water, lie down and place it on your forehead.
Headaches every day: diagnosis and first aid
Headache differs not only in the cause of occurrence, but also in the nature of impulsivity, as well as concomitant symptoms.
Throbbing pain. Over time, the pressure in the temples increases, the pulsation is accompanied by high blood pressure. Due to massive cerebral hemorrhage, nosebleeds may begin. If your head hurts every day, it may be the throbbing type.
- muscle tension. Increasing sensations, a feeling is created, as if the head is “in a vice”. It occurs in people whose field of activity forces them to spend a lot of time near the computer screen.
- Liquorodynamic. This type is a side effect of hypertension or hypotension. Unpleasant sensations arise not only in the head, but also in different parts of the body.
- neuralgic. Occurs as a result of a strong moral overload. In a neglected form, painkillers and sedatives have no effect. Resi localized throughout the head.
It is possible to establish the type of headache, as well as to select the appropriate treatment regimen, only after undergoing diagnostic measures.
Diagnostics
Diagnostic measures carried out in the hospital consist of a patient interview and an instrumental-hardware examination. Laboratory studies will not help to establish why the head hurts every day.
When visiting a therapist, an oral survey follows, during which the attending specialist tries to determine the frequency of unpleasant sensations, the type of pain and other important nuances. At the end of the interview, the patient is referred to a specialist, usually a neurologist, neuropathologist or otolaryngologist.
Instrumental and hardware diagnostics consists of the following mandatory measures:
- EEG. A procedure that determines whether the brain is working properly. If any abnormalities are noticed, the patient is left for treatment in the hospital.
- Fluoroscopy. It is required in order to establish whether head spasms were caused by trauma, hydrocephalus, or other factors.
- MRI. It is done to determine if a patient has or does not have a tumor or malignancy.
- ultrasound. With the help of ultrasound diagnostics, the doctor determines whether the patient has a problem with the vascular system.
All procedures must be carried out without fail. Additional events are appointed by a specialist at his discretion.
First aid
Some attacks come on so suddenly that the person is at a disadvantage and cannot help himself.
To eliminate unpleasant consequences, you should know how to provide first aid for a headache:
- The patient should take a supine position. Place a flat pillow under your head.
- After that, you should drink painkillers, preferably of medium action. Without urgent need, do not use potent drugs.
- Measure your blood pressure. If the readings are elevated, give the patient a blood pressure lowering agent.
- If the spasms continue to grow, the victim must induce artificial vomiting.
- Apply cold compresses to the forehead, you can use some ice.
- Open windows, balconies and doors. There must be fresh air circulation in the room.
If all the above methods did not work and the condition continues to worsen, an ambulance should be called. The person must remain conscious. It is necessary to create a comfortable atmosphere, to exclude all extraneous noise.
Persistent headaches and possible consequences
Treatment is required or not - this issue is decided by the attending physician. As a rule, this question is guided by a neurologist. Therapy is prescribed if persistent headaches become more frequent and become chronic.
There are several methods of therapy:
- Medical therapy. The patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. As a rule, medicines combine spasmalholics and painkillers. Medications are selected individually, depending on the provocative cause and nature of the spasm.
- Massage treatments. The method is suitable for patients whose problem is osteochondrosis or disorders of the spinal column. Massage acts as an adjunct therapy.
- exercise therapy. Some exercises from the complex of physiotherapy exercises help eliminate spasms in the head, provided that they are caused by injury or overexertion.
All other methods are less common and are used when traditional medicine is powerless.
How an attack occurs and what is best to do
An attack of headache begins suddenly, after the provocative cause has outgrown the critical point.
Depending on the nature of the pain, the following actions should be taken:
- If the sensations are pulsating, you should turn off all electronic devices and lie down in silence. Sleep if possible.
- Take painkillers. Suitable No-shpa, Analgin or Ketanov.
- Ventilate the room, if the pulsation is weak - go outside.
- Make a massage of the temples. With two index fingers, make circular movements in the area of \u200b\u200bthe temples.
You need to try to protect yourself from extraneous noise as much as possible. If this succeeds, the vessels in the head will come to a relaxed state, which will greatly facilitate the human condition.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine has repeatedly rescued people in situations where constant headaches brought a person to the ward in the hospital. There are several proven folk ways to eliminate migraines.
- mint cha th. It is enough to add a few mint leaves to any tea, for any cramps. The remedy eliminates spasms and has a calming effect on the central nervous system.
- lemon peel. It is necessary to take two fresh lemons, remove the peel from them and put on whiskey. Next, wrap your head with something warm. The tool will get rid of acute and throbbing pain.
- Drops based on propolis and vodka are suitable for a therapeutic course.. You need two tablespoons of crushed propolis and 300 ml of vodka. Mix, let stand for a day. Take a tablespoon, an hour before bedtime or with a severe headache.
Many traditional medicines help eliminate migraines, even when the situation seems hopeless and there is a need to call an ambulance.
Possible consequences
If the headache problem has become chronic, the situation may turn into uncontrollable consequences, such as:
- Deterioration of sensory feelings.
- Memory problems.
- CNS disorders.
- Psycho-emotional disorders.
- destruction of the vestibular apparatus.
These are far from all the consequences that arise as a result of chronic pain in the head. To prejudice their development, you should visit a medical institution in a timely manner.
Prevention
As a preventive measure, all stressful situations, especially those associated with working moments, should be eliminated. If the work delivers only problems, you should take a vacation and put yourself in order.
Take daily walks in the fresh air, stick to a daily routine, keep an eight-hour sleep schedule, and stabilize your diet. In this case, health problems will not arise.
Today, more and more often we are faced with such a condition as a constant headache, or, scientifically, cephalgia. She exhausts, squeezes out all her strength every day; in such a state it is impossible to simply exist, let alone work. The head can hurt regardless of gender, age, occupation. Not to mention the fact that this condition in itself is already quite dangerous, we should mention the accompanying signs that aggravate the problem, such as impaired vision, memory, speech, coordination, weakness and numbness in one half of the body or part of it (for example, some fingers on the hand).
If your head hurts all the time, it can mean a lot. Headache can occur due to various kinds of infections - sluggish caries or sinusitis. Also, this should include polyps deep in the nose or ears, tumors and other intracranial formations. Due to head injuries, pathologies in the development of the skull, face, neck, daily pain is quite natural. Vascular disorders (migraine) and increased intracranial pressure bring a lot of suffering, adding their symptoms in the form of a change in smell, nausea, dizziness and photophobia.
The lack of fresh air, regular physical activity, as well as excessive exacerbate discomfort. Insufficient blood circulation worsens the nutrition of the brain, and lack of movement causes osteochondrosis. Salts deposited in the vertebrae compress the vessels narrowed from the sluggish blood flow. The result is a constant headache. This is the scourge of all modern office workers.
Metabolic disorders and hormonal disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, have a great influence on frequent cephalgia. And the very substances that we use can be very insidious. If you are taking medication, your body will react to the new drugs introduced into it. Or, on the contrary, being without the support of chemical “crutches”, when you have just finished taking it, it will begin to act up and try to adapt to new conditions. Continue the theme of allergies, both explicit and hidden. Hypertension, hypotension, arterial hypertension and other pressure changes are also on the list of reasons why the head often hurts.
The human body is designed in such a way that in a moment of danger, the muscles contract, preparing to protect what is hidden under them. Emotions such as excitement and fear cause spasms, and the head is no exception. Stress pain is a common occurrence, as current conditions make us feel stressed almost constantly. If the stress becomes chronic and consciousness cannot overcome it, the “caring” subconscious mind seeks to hide it in itself so as not to distract consciousness from pressing matters. And then, it would seem, causeless pain in the head comes with even greater force.
If painful sensations torment you every day, then this is a serious reason to consult a doctor - a general practitioner or a neurologist, and undergo a series of examinations prescribed by him. It is possible that you will be referred for examinations and to other specialists.
Types of headaches and their symptoms
There are four types:
- Vascular. Sensation of pulsation, bursting, the head dully whines and spins, it periodically darkens before the eyes. It hurts to bend over, lie down, walk in a hat, comb your hair. Usually this is caused either by low pressure, when the blood stagnates in the vessels and stretches them, or increased, when the blood is pushed through the arteries at too high a speed and puts pressure on the surrounding tissues, or by osteochondrosis, when salts deposited on the bones compress the blood flow.
- Liquorodynamic. Dizziness, nausea, pressure in the frontal part of the skull, temporary blurring of vision. With hypertension, the pain either increases or subsides depending on the various positions of the body. With hypotension, it is especially painful to stand. The reason lies in the increase in the secretion of cerebrospinal fluid. Because of it, intracranial pressure increases.
- Neuralgic. Acute or cutting, sudden, accompanied. If you press on the sore spot, then it spreads to neighboring areas. Redness and swelling of the skin, changes in its sensitivity are possible. Unpleasant sensations almost do not go away even from taking painkillers. They can last for weeks or months. They can be provoked by prolonged and excessive physical exertion in combination with hypothermia. This explains why microtrauma and inflammation of the nerve roots occur. Also, nerve fibers can be affected by various toxins that accumulate in the body due to infection (for example, botulism), contact with heavy metals (lead, mercury) or abuse of hard liquor.
- Muscular tension. Painful aches, a feeling of squeezing, constriction, limitation, sometimes you want to scratch. It occurs against the background of eye strain, from an abundance of various smells, loud music, with fears and unrest, lack of movement, pressure on various parts of the head (tight hair ties, hats, uncomfortable pillows and glasses).
Prevention and relief of headaches
There is a ban on certain products and procedures if you have a constant headache:
- Sausage products may contain an increased amount of nitrites - dyes that give the product a pleasant pinkish color, and artificial flavors.
- Chewing gum, chocolate, soda, some types of sweets - the substance phenylethylamine.
- Sugar substitutes, such as aspartame and additives E 961, can provoke headaches. They are found in soda, yogurt, low-calorie desserts, candy, cough drops, and vitamins.
- Cheese, red wine, smoked fish, nuts, chicken liver - the amino acid tyramine.
- Spices, soy - vegetable protein monosodoglutamate.
- Alcohol. After a small dose, the discomfort may ease and disappear, but later they may return. But what if you suffer from cephalalgia all the time?
- Smoking. Nicotine causes muscle spasms.
- Taking large amounts of painkillers.
- Cold. Ice compresses and washing will give nothing but additional vasospasm and muscle tension.
If you have not yet been able to find out the reasons for your frequent torment, try to help yourself and at least somehow alleviate the attacks, perhaps by the following harmless means:
- Fresh air. Regular walks and frequent airing of the room will supply the body with oxygen.
- Decoctions of herbs. Brew some lavender or chamomile and drink it like a tea. After that, try to sleep.
- Compress. In warm or slightly cool water - as you like - drip a few drops of mint or lavender essential oil. Then wet a towel or piece of cloth and apply for a while to the forehead and temples.
- Self-massage. Slightly lower your head, massage with your fingertips, moving from the forehead to the back of the head. Walk through each zone several times. It would be useful to massage the neck and ears as well.
Treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor. Do not self-medicate by swallowing handfuls of pills every day. If cephalgia keeps bothering you, seek medical help as soon as possible to find out why and how dangerous your condition is, and what to do about it.
Headaches, or cephalalgia, are a fairly common symptom of many diseases and conditions.
It is believed that the head hurts more often in women than in the stronger sex.
In this case, the causes of frequent headaches should be sought in the physiological characteristics of women, due to the more complex anatomical structure and functionality.
The main, but far from the only, cause of headaches in women under the age of thirty is considered to be hormonal fluctuations in the body.
They are associated with the functions of ovulation, gestation and childbearing.
It should be borne in mind that frequent headaches in women of different age groups are symptoms of pathological disorders.
Let's consider the important, most exciting questions for people: "Why do women often have a headache?"; types of cephalgia; ways to deal with pain.
Classification
There is a classifier of diseases ICD 10. Cephalgia refers to the International code R51.
According to the international classification of diseases, cephalgia is divided into the following types:
- vascular;
- tension cephalgia;
- vasomotor cephaly;
- headache when using medications;
- migraine;
- post-traumatic headache.
Vascular headache is considered the most common type of cephalalgia.
Pathology manifests itself in the form of throbbing pain with a sharp expansion or narrowing of blood vessels.
Causes of a headache with hypotension are an increase in blood flow, stretching of small arteries, poor outflow of blood (venous) from any part of the head.
The pain is aggravated by tilting the head and lying down. The outflow improves in the standing position.
Squeezing of the cervical vessels (tight tie, prolonged tilt of the head down), stress, hypertension can provoke pain.
This type of cephalgia manifests itself in various pathologies of internal organs, neurocirculatory dystonia (NCD).
A characteristic feature of headache in hypertension are the following factors: increase after exercise; occurrence after sleep; manifestation in the back of the head.
With a stroke (hemorrhagic), an acute development of a headache against the background of an increase in blood pressure is characteristic.
Causes of pain - accumulation of blood poured out of a blood vessel in any part of the brain
The nature of the pain is strong and unexpected, accompanied by vomiting, nausea, photophobia, loss of consciousness.
Tension cephalgia manifests itself in many people. Frequent aching headaches occur when working, sitting in an uncomfortable or incorrect position in the form of spasms of the muscles of the neck and head (scalp).
Prolonged muscle tension leads to stretching of the meninges and effects on numerous nerve endings.
To prevent such pain, you can establish breaks in work and conduct gymnastic exercises.
Vasomotor cephalgia manifests itself in the form of pressure in any head region.
Frequent headaches are provoked by: muscle tension in the shoulders, neck; sedentary lifestyle; lack of rest; large doses of medicines; smoking; stress.
Unilateral spasm of the blood vessels of the head of the brain during migraine affects the trigeminal nerve, causing severe, unbearable headaches of a throbbing nature.
Migraines are often accompanied by vomiting and nausea. During attacks, the patient cannot stand noise and light.
Migraine is considered a neurological hereditary disease.
The reasons
The main causes of headaches in women are pathological disorders and negative conditions.
- Viral and infectious diseases.
- Aneurysm.
- High or low blood pressure.
- diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders.
- Meningitis.
- intracranial pressure.
- Nervous and physical overload.
- Diseases of internal organs (genitourinary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal system).
- Trigeminal neuralgia.
- Iron deficiency (anemia).
- Tension of the optic nerves.
- Temporal arteritis.
- Apoplexy.
- Cervical osteochondrosis.
- Stress.
- Traumatic brain injury.
- Eye diseases.
- Inflammation or swelling of the brain.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Muscle strain.
- Violation of sleep, nutrition.
- Oxygen starvation.
- Tobacco smoking.
- Rigid diet.
- Weather change.
- Heat or sunstroke.
- fluid deficiency.
- The impact of medications on the body (exceeding the norm).
The list of triggers for headaches is long. So why is cephalgia often manifested?
According to statistics, the frequency of headaches in women is higher than in men. The causes of frequent headaches are hidden in physiological differences.
Sharp changes in the hormonal background and the work of organs (increased load) occur during ovulation, at different stages of pregnancy, in the prenatal and postnatal period.
Possible concomitant causes of headache during these periods are chronic diseases.
The following factors contribute to the manifestation of cephalalgia:
- tension and compression of the muscles of the skull;
- irritation of the occipital or trigeminal nerve;
- thickening of the blood (viscosity);
- psychogenic;
- eye diseases;
- nasal infections.
One of the common types is muscle tension cephalgia (80% of the world's population).
It manifests itself as a result of prolonged muscle contraction and squeezing of blood vessels.
The blood flow decreases, and oxygen starvation of the muscles occurs, which leads to the accumulation of toxic substances, affecting the nerves.
They send signals to the brain. The result is a constant headache.
With such cephalalgia, pressure increases in the temporal or frontal part.
The duration of discomfort depends on the individual characteristics of the person and ranges from half an hour to several days.
Squeezing of blood vessels in the neck is manifested in the following symptoms:
- stiffness of the neck muscles;
- dull, stabbing or shooting pain;
- vomit;
- blurred vision;
- dizziness;
- ringing and noise in the ears (should be differentiated from hypotension);
- manifestation with head tilts and loads (physical).
Irritation of the occipital or trigeminal nerve, to a greater extent, affects the female population. Deterioration of blood flow, compression of the nerve leads to primary neuralgia.
Infectious diseases, the formation of tumors become the culprits of secondary neuralgia.
Pain occurs with neuropathic complications.
Of particular note is such a cause of cephalalgia as blood viscosity. With a decrease in the level of the liquid part of the blood (plasma) and an increase in red blood cells, viscosity increases.
Blood thickening occurs for the following reasons:
- the use of salty, sour, heavy food for digestion;
- violation of the structure of blood vessels, their inner membrane;
- liver dysfunction;
- incomplete breakdown of food by enzymes;
- deficiency of trace elements and vitamins;
- smoking;
- contamination of food with pesticides, toxins, insecticides;
- increased function of the spleen;
- abuse of hard liquor;
- an increase in red blood cells;
- adhesion of leukocytes, erythrocytes, formation of blood clots;
- depressive state.
Chronic diseases, worms, unhealthy lifestyle negatively affect the systems that produce blood components and various hormones.
Accordingly, the impact is on the viscosity. Thickened blood is poorly transported through the blood vessels and the main pump of the body - the heart - begins to work in an enhanced mode.
With an increase in viscosity, the following conditions occur: unexpected headache; heaviness in the legs; varicose veins, nodes; dry mouth; frequent cold hands, feet; distraction; depression; despondency; general weakness; forgetfulness.
It is not always possible to detect increased blood viscosity during examination, history.
Sometimes the disorder is asymptomatic. To establish an accurate diagnosis, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive blood test, coagulogram, hemoscanning.
In a laboratory study, the condition of the vessels, blood coagulability indicators are checked.
To determine the root cause of cephalgia, an electroencephalogram of the brain and computed tomography are prescribed.
Danger of thickening
The blood flow slows down due to the oxidation of the body (clumping of red blood cells and platelets).
The viscosity of the blood increases and there is a risk of blood clots in the vessels and heart.
Thickened blood leads to the formation of blood clots. Blood microcirculation is disturbed in small vessels, which are very numerous in the head, legs, and arms.
There is a constant headache, coldness and numbness of the extremities.
In this state of affairs, fatigue increases, vision and memory deteriorate, weakness and drowsiness appear.
Things are even worse when large blood vessels are affected.
The formation of blood clots leads to the occurrence of atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart attack, stroke.
Treatment
After conducting research and establishing a diagnosis, the doctor prescribes drugs that strengthen blood vessels and thin the blood.
To strengthen the walls of blood vessels, the following agents are prescribed:
- vitamins C, B;
- Aescusan;
- Detralex;
- Venarus;
- Askorutin.
The doctor prescribes drugs that thin the blood.
- Warfarin or analogues.
- Curantyl.
- Thrombo ASS
- Cardiomagnyl.
- Aspecard.
- Lospirin.
- Aspirin Cardio.
- Coumadin.
- fruits (grapefruit, apples, pomegranate, all citrus fruits, lime);
- seafood (crabs, mussels, squid, scallops);
- sea fish;
- cocoa, chocolate (dark);
- berries (plums, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries);
- vegetables and grains (onions, garlic, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, sprouted wheat grains, sunflower seeds, artichokes, beets, ginger, cinnamon).
It is necessary to exclude or limit the use of sugar, salt, smoked, fried, spicy foods, marinades.
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Headache is the most common signal of the body about the presence of physiological failures or organic problems in it. Even his one-time appearance deserves attention. People who have a headache regularly or severely need to undergo a thorough diagnosis and identify the causes of the symptom. In 10-20% of cases, the symptom turns out to be one of the secondary consequences of serious violations in the functioning of the organs. Such situations require the immediate initiation of adequate therapy. Otherwise, there is a high risk of developing chronic diseases or emergency conditions that can lead to a decrease in the quality of life, disability, and death.
Why does my head hurt
Pharmacies offer drugs for cephalalgia that are different in price, composition, type of action and rules for use. In some cases, they quickly relieve discomfort, in others they do not give the desired result. The effectiveness of funds depends not so much on their quality, but on the appropriateness of a particular situation. The mechanism of development of pain in the head is different, it is under it that the medicine must be selected.
There are five common causes of the symptom:
- muscle strain - the result of prolonged physical exertion or being in an uncomfortable position;
- decrease in the functionality of cerebral vessels - pathological narrowing or expansion of blood channels, increased permeability or stretching of their walls. Excessive blood density, atherosclerotic plaques, swelling of tissues, tumors, blood clots increase the risks. They interfere with normal blood flow, which disrupts metabolic processes;
- violation of the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid - most often the result of compression of certain parts of the brain by a cyst, hematoma, tumor, displaced bone;
- failures of a neuralgic nature - appear when nerve fibers are irritated (infringement, squeezing, malnutrition, infection);
- the action of psychogenic factors - the consequences of mental disorders in the form of depression, apathy, stress, genetic diseases, chronic fatigue.
One-time or regular pain in the head can occur under the influence of another two hundred factors. This list includes smoking, drinking alcohol, eating unhealthy foods and caffeine.
Cephalgia is the result of prolonged exposure to heat, in conditions of high humidity. Often a headache occurs due to a lack or excess of sleep, wearing incorrectly selected glasses, contact lenses. The danger is strict diets, head injuries, hypothermia, slagging of the body.
Symptoms
Headache manifests itself in different ways. Its intensity, localization, character are influenced by provoking factors, the mechanism of development, the stage, and the features of the course of the pathology. An experienced doctor is able to make a preliminary diagnosis, based only on the specifics of the clinical picture.
The type of pain in the head depends on the causes of cephalalgia:
- vascular - most often the patient is tormented by pulsation or aching sensations. They are accompanied by dizziness, a decrease in the quality of vision. The symptom intensifies with a change in body position, physical activity, inclinations;
- liquorodynamic - pain rolls in waves, reminiscent of pressure from the inside. Complemented by nausea, dizziness, weakness, general deterioration of well-being;
- neuralgic - acute and sharp cephalgia of a local nature. Often, when you press on the affected area, the sensations intensify, become cutting or piercing, unbearable. The sensitivity of the skin in the problem area increases or decreases. The symptom does not respond well to conventional analgesics, may persist for several days or weeks;
- tension - constant, moderate or weak, aching. Accompanied by irritability, dizziness, neck ache. Quickly disappears after a light massage of the collar zone or rest;
- psychogenic - can take on a very different look, be supplemented by obsessive states, a decrease in mental abilities.
In each of the cases, a special therapy is required, selected by a specialized doctor. If you suddenly have a headache, you can try to cope with it with folk methods or taking analgesics. If there is no effect or if the symptom recurs soon, you should seek medical help.
The most common causes of headaches
Doctors identify dozens of factors, the action of which can lead to the appearance of cephalalgia. This list includes not only diseases of the head, but also pathologies of distant localization. Five conditions are worth mentioning separately - they account for about 95% of all cases of a symptom. Do not self-diagnose, even when the clinical picture is obvious. Some diseases proceed according to a similar scenario, but require different approaches to treatment. It is better to initially visit a specialist and strictly follow his instructions.
Tension headache
If for no apparent reason the head hurts for a long time and obsessively, this diagnosis should be considered first of all. Sensations occur in the afternoon or after a long stay in an uncomfortable position. They look like pressure due to tight hair or tight headgear. Most often, the pain covers the cranium like a hoop. Initially, only one side of the head or the frontal part hurts, gradually the symptom spreads around the perimeter. It is complemented by dizziness, decreased mental activity, impaired attention.
To get rid of the problem, it is enough to breathe fresh air, relax, drink soothing tea. Prolonged, persistent sensations indicate a violation of blood flow. In this case, it may be necessary to take medications to protect nerve cells, increase brain activity, improve circulation (nootropics, neuroprotectors).
Migraine
A neurological disease of a vascular nature is more often diagnosed in women of childbearing age. It manifests itself in the form of cephalgia, nausea and vomiting at the peak of sensations, an increased reaction to external stimuli. The head usually hurts on one side, the sensations are pulsating, intense, intensified due to loud sounds, pungent odors. Attacks last from 2-4 hours to 3 days. In a quarter of the cases they are preceded by an aura. Depending on the specifics of the case, the head hurts every few months or up to several times a week. Therapy requires a comprehensive, aimed at alleviating the patient's condition and preventing subsequent exacerbations.
Histamine headache
The disease is also called Horton's or cluster cephalgia. It is especially susceptible to middle-aged men, strong physique, drinking alcohol, with an impressive history of smoking. The pain has a one-sided localization, gives to the eyeball, lasts from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Sensations are sharp, sharp, burning. They do not allow a person to do their usual things and react poorly to taking drugs of any type. The onset of an attack may be preceded by lacrimation, nasal congestion, dull pain in the head, drooping of the upper eyelid in one eye.
Occipital headache
With the localization of cephalalgia in the back of the head, there is a high probability of a violation of the process of blood flow to the brain. Often this is due to problems in the cervical spine. The picture in this case is complemented by dizziness, soreness and crunching in the neck, decreased skin sensitivity, numbness of the fingers. The patient's head hurts mainly in one place, but the sensations are given to the ear, jaw, eye or shoulder from the affected side. The symptom increases during the day and intensifies over time. It is exacerbated by sudden movements, tilts, turns of the head.
The therapy involves the fight against pathological changes in the spine with the help of chondroprotectors, massage, physiotherapy, exercise therapy. Additionally, the patient is prescribed medications to normalize the functioning of the cerebral vessels, protect nerve cells from toxins, and improve circulation in tissues.
Arterial hypertension
With increased pressure, the head can hurt in different places.
Cephalgia is bursting or pulsating, constant or growing. It is accompanied by nausea, flies before the eyes, reddening of the face, changes in the frequency and quality of breathing, increased heart rate. To confirm the diagnosis, it is enough to measure blood pressure. Treatment is carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor. The fight against arterial hypertension is not limited to taking medications. Be sure to introduce changes in the diet, measures are taken to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood.
Diagnostics
Features of the manifestation of diseases allow the doctor to make a preliminary diagnosis. Then various methods of research are applied, which are designed to confirm or refute the suspicions. Only after that a treatment regimen is developed, aimed not at cephalalgia, but at its cause.
Diagnosis of headache may include the following activities:
- MRI and/or CT;
- Ultrasound of the vessels of the brain and neck;
- EEG, REG;
- x-ray of the head and neck;
- lumbar puncture.
General and biochemical blood tests are mandatory. They help to evaluate the composition of biological material, its viscosity, cholesterol level, and exclude the presence of infection in the body.
Drugs that can treat headaches
If possible, you should consult your doctor before taking any medication. When the head suddenly hurts, it is better to start the fight against the symptom with the safest and most affordable approaches - rest, a walk in the fresh air or airing the room, tea with lemon and sugar. A good effect is given by massage of the head and collar area, inhalation of aromatic oils or rubbing them into the temples.
If you still have a severe headache, you can use the following drugs:
- NSAIDs - Ibuprofen, Aspirin;
- analgesics - "Paracetamol", "Pentalgin";
- antispasmodics - "No-Shpa", "Baralgin";
- hypotensive - only after measuring blood pressure and preferably those that were previously prescribed by a doctor;
- nootropics - Piracetam, Phenibut.
Specialists have developed a simple and affordable program for the prevention of cephalgia. In order to never have a headache, it is enough to lead a healthy lifestyle, walk a lot in the fresh air, play sports, observe the daily routine and stop eating harmful foods. You should also be attentive to your health, timely address complaints to doctors. You can not self-medicate - it is recommended to coordinate the intake of any drugs with a health worker.
It is difficult to find a person who does not have a headache at least from time to time. A one-time occurrence of a symptom is not a reason for panic. Unpleasant sensations after a hard day or stress indicate the body's need for rest and relaxation. Sometimes colds or inflammatory diseases begin with cephalalgia. With pain in the head, the body reacts to poisoning with toxins, slagging, changing weather conditions. The main thing is not to grab the pills every time, even if it is not clear what caused the sign. Independent experiments pose a great risk to the body and complicate the process of making a diagnosis for doctors.
Headache may be associated with arterial hypertension. This is a chronic condition of the cardiovascular system, a disease characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure (abbreviated designation - BP) from 140/90 mm Hg. Art. and higher. Approximately 20-30% of adults suffer from arterial hypertension. With age, this figure increases. About 50% of people over 60 years of age have a named chronic disease.
In people suffering from arterial hypertension, the pressure is increased, the head hurts in the early hours. The place of localization of pain is the occipital region. It is worth noting that pain may not occur with a slight or moderate increase in pressure. They are always observed only with a rapid increase in blood pressure over 200/120 mm Hg. Art.
Arterial hypotension
If you often have a headache, what could be the reasons? One of the answers to this question is arterial hypotension. This is a condition in which the blood pressure is 90/60 mm Hg. Art. and less. He is characterized by a headache. It can be dull, constricting, bursting or pulsating. The place of its localization is the fronto-parietal or fronto-temporal region. With arterial hypotension, the following symptoms are also observed:
- weakness;
- lethargy in the morning, drowsiness;
- dizziness;
- emotional instability;
- sensitivity to weather conditions;
- pallor;
- palpitations and shortness of breath on exertion.
Specialists have created a classification of arterial hypotension. There are acute and chronic varieties. The latter is subdivided, in turn, into physiological, primary and secondary. Acute hypotension is a sudden decrease in blood pressure. A similar condition is observed with blood loss, acute myocardial infarction.
Low blood pressure, headache... Such symptoms are sometimes noticed by absolutely healthy people. Athletes are an example. They have low blood pressure with constant physical activity. This feature is an adaptive reaction of the body, a protective measure. This type of arterial hypotension is called physiological.
The primary form is considered an independent disease. It is not a consequence of any pathologies, does not occur against the background of existing diseases. Doctors see primary hypotension as a special form of a neurosis-like brain disease. But the secondary variety is observed in various diseases (for example, in heart failure, brain injuries, arrhythmias).
subarachnoid hemorrhage
Sudden diffuse or occipital pain may be characteristic of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. This term (abbreviated designation - SAK) experts refer to the accumulation of blood in the cavity between the pia mater and arachnoid. Hemorrhage occurs suddenly due to rupture of an arterial aneurysm or a traumatic brain injury.
People who have experienced a subarachnoid hemorrhage note that the pain they experienced was the most severe of those they encountered in their lives. Other symptoms of SAH include nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. With a hemorrhage, a person needs urgent medical attention. This is a very dangerous condition that can lead to death or severe disability.
intracerebral hemorrhage
Diffuse or local intense pain may be a symptom of intracerebral hemorrhage. This is the ingress of blood into the substance. Hemorrhage occurs when the walls of the cerebral vessels are ruptured or during diapedesis (the release of blood elements from the vessels in violation of their permeability and tone).
Who can face this dangerous condition? Most often, hemorrhage occurs in people in adulthood and old age due to cerebral atherosclerosis, hypertension. Much less often, the causes are blood diseases, inflammatory changes in the cerebral vessels. Cerebral hemorrhage sometimes occurs in young people. The most common cause is drug use.
brain formations
If you often have a headache, what are the reasons? An unpleasant symptom can be caused by various brain formations (hematomas, tumors, abscesses). Pain is most often diffuse. Sometimes it occurs in the place where the volumetric formation is localized. In the early stages of the disease, it makes itself felt in the morning and is weak. As the disease progresses, the nature of the pain changes. It becomes constant and stronger. Other symptoms that indicate the presence of space-occupying formations include:
- vomiting that occurs without nausea;
- the appearance of oculomotor disorders;
- memory impairment;
- behavior change, etc.
It is worth noting that pain sometimes occurs when tilting the head, coughing, straining, physical exertion. Such a symptom may be characteristic of tumors of the posterior cranial fossa. The pain that occurs in these situations and is short-lived can occur without intracranial pathologies.
Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses
If the head often hurts in the forehead, heaviness is felt near the nose, then this is sinusitis. This term means inflammation of the mucous membrane lining one or more paranasal sinuses. Sinusitis occurs as a complication of influenza, runny nose, infectious diseases. Bacteria and viruses provoke inflammation.
Pain and heaviness in sinusitis are not the only symptoms. Other signs of the disease are:
- nasal congestion;
- fever;
- purulent discharge from the nose;
- soreness when tapping the area of the affected sinus.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
The term "glaucoma" refers to an eye disease, which is characterized by such a sign as an increase in intraocular pressure. There are 2 forms of this disease. One of them is called angle-closure glaucoma. It occurs due to contact between the trabecular meshwork and the iris. With an illness, the outflow of intraocular fluid from the eye becomes difficult, the functioning of the trabecular network is disrupted. As a result, intraocular pressure rises.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma is something that causes daily headaches for some people. With this disease, people complain of pain in the eye area, vision of rainbow circles around the light source, blurred vision. Intraocular pressure is measured to confirm or rule out angle-closure glaucoma.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
When often can be in a long-term head injury. The pain can be excruciating for a long period. Its character is dull, diffuse and aggravated by physical exertion. Usually this symptom is accompanied by memory impairment, decreased attention, poor sleep, dizziness, fatigue and psycho-emotional disorders.
In some cases, there are such suspicious signs as an increase in headache, drowsiness, confusion, changes in pupil size, asymmetry of reflexes. They may not be the consequences of TBI, but symptoms of chronic subdural hematoma.
Tension headache
And the treatment of the disease is a very relevant topic today. What is meant by this term? This is a common type of primary pain. Currently, it is called differently. Specialists use a new term - tension-type headache.
This symptom can occur at any age. It begins to manifest itself most often after 25 years. Tension pain is characterized by moderate intensity. In almost all cases, it is bilateral, and the place of its localization is the temporal, frontal and occipital regions. Pain has a squeezing effect. It usually lasts from several minutes to several days. Vomiting is not observed. Sometimes there is nausea, sound and photophobia.
Tension headache, the symptoms and treatment of which are known to about 20% of the inhabitants of our planet, has a different etiology. The causes of pain are different:
- getting into stressful situations;
- sleep disturbance;
- irregular meals;
- too high or too low ambient temperature;
- hormonal disorders;
Pain while taking medication
If you often have a headache, the reasons may lie in the medications you take. Painful symptoms are caused by the following drugs:
- vasodilators (calcium antagonists, nitrates, chimes);
- anticonvulsants;
- corticosteroids;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory;
- hypolipidemic;
- antihistamines;
- estrogens;
- antibacterial.
Visit to a specialist
If headaches periodically torment, then you need to seek help. These symptoms can hide diseases that are life-threatening. If you often have a headache, which doctor can help? First you need to make an appointment with a therapist and tell him about your problem. It is very important to convey to the specialist all the important information, because the effectiveness of the treatment depends on it.
So, at the reception you should tell:
- in what area of the head is the pain localized;
- at what time of the day does it make itself felt;
- when the pain first appeared (for example, a few days ago);
- when the pain sensation becomes maximum;
- what additional suspicious symptoms are observed with a headache;
- Are any medications being taken?
- how many pain attacks happen per day;
- whether there are any diseases.
It is imperative to express your point of view about what the pain could have caused. Maybe a few weeks (months, years) ago there was an injury or a blow to the head. This is very important information that will help the specialist determine the cause of the headache that occurs.
The therapist, after listening to all complaints, will prescribe the necessary examinations (blood test, X-ray, computed tomography, etc.). The doctor will also give a referral to the necessary specialist (for example, to an otolaryngologist in the presence of diseases associated with the ear, throat, nose, head, to a neurologist to rule out or confirm diseases related to the nervous system) in order to finally find out why the patient often hurts head.
The reasons (what to do, we described above) for the appearance of such a symptom, as is clear from the foregoing, are different. But summing up, it is worth noting that only 5% of patients who turn to doctors with complaints of headache have serious illnesses. Despite this, you should not refuse to make a visit to a specialist. The doctor will find out the real cause of the pain and give advice on how to get rid of this painful symptom.
