What are headaches, there types and where do they occur?
The most common and frequent of ailments, headaches are never termed as ‘disease’, but may be indicative of certain other underlying problems. However, headaches are fairly common and can be a cause for concern in individuals as it tends to upset a persons daily routine.
The most common types of headaches include tension headache (muscular contraction headache), migraines (vascular headaches) and cluster headache. Cluster headaches are generally extremely painful and may occur several times a day or not occur at all for days. In some cases these headaches may require a visit to a medical provider.
The most common and frequent of ailments, headaches are never termed as ‘disease’, but may be indicative of certain other underlying problems. However, headaches are fairly common and can be a cause for concern in individuals as it tends to upset a persons daily routine.
The most common types of headaches include tension headache (muscular contraction headache), migraines (vascular headaches) and cluster headache. Cluster headaches are generally extremely painful and may occur several times a day or not occur at all for days. In some cases these headaches may require a visit to a medical provider.
There are some rare types of headaches also which deserve a mention here for the simple fact that they affect a sizeable number of individuals from time to time. These headaches include:
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (headache with visual symptoms due to raised intracranial pressure
Ictal headache
Brain freeze (also known as: ice cream headache)
Thunderclap headache
Vascular headache
Toxic headache
Coital cephalalgia (sex headache)
Hemicrania continua
Rebound headache (medication overuse headache, abbreviated MOH)
Spinal headache (post-dural puncture headaches) after lumbar puncture or related procedure that will lower the intracranial pressure
Hangover headache (caused by heavy alcohol consumption)
Headaches often result from traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. Pain, during a headache, transpires in the brain tissues, muscles, nerves and blood vessels around the scalp, face, and neck. Lacking in nociceptors, the brain itself is insensitive to pain. However, the dura mater (the membrane surrounding the brain and the spinal cord), is resplendent with nociceptors. Stimulation of any kind to the dural nociceptors produces headaches.
Tension headaches and their symptoms
Tension headaches are a type of headache that results from contraction of the head and neck muscles. The most common type of headache, it accounts for almost 70% of all headaches that occur. Tension headaches can occur in either sex and at any age; however, it is most common in adults and adolescents.
This type of headache particularly occurs in isolated incidents but may become chronic in some people. Possible causes include:
Stress
Fatigue
Poor posture
Eye strain
Tobacco and alcohol use
Performing an activity with the head held up in one position for a long time
Sleeping in a cold room
Sleeping in an abnormal position
Overexerting oneself
Clenching or grinding the teeth
Hormonal changes before and after menstrual periods (in women only)
During tension headaches, pain is felt in the generalised area of the head and neck. In addition, the pain may be situated in the back of the head and neck – feeling like an ‘extremely tight band’. The pain is sometimes accompanied by muscle tightness in the back of the neck also. Nonetheless, tension headache do not last long if treated well in time.
Headache – effective treatment
Treatment for a simple headache is as a rule symptomatic. Over-the-counter painkillers are generally known to work effectively but headaches like migraines may require specific treatment. Headaches in general and migraines in particular may result from specific allergic triggers like stress or unambiguous foods. If known, it is best to avoid these allergic triggers in order to remain ailment free.
If an individual is suffering from chronic headaches, a ‘headache’ diary could prove to be quite useful as it would help the doctor figure out what kind of treatment is most appropriate for your diagnosis. The easiest way to do this would be to write the dates of headaches on a calendar.
Moreover, maintaining a diary requires making a note of when the pain started and how long it lasted. You must also note down other additional factors pertaining to food and drink that may have triggered your condition, other medicines taken, daily activities, and weather conditions. In the case of women, maintaining detailed information about their periods would also help a lot.
While every individual will require an exclusive form of treatment, over-the-counter pain relievers like paracetamol (Panadol), aspirin (Aspro clear) and ibuprofen (Nurofen) are seen to work effectively in most people with non-chronic headaches; lifestyle changes may also help. But, prescription medicines may be more helpful in people with chronic migraines.
About the Author
Webmaster associated with migraine headache related site. This site provides various information on tension headache and cluster headache. Resources are available on site headclinic.co.uk
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