What Ails You: Dealing with headaches

Let’s talk head pain.

Some folks get headaches daily. Others get them rarely. One thing they all have in common is once your head starts pounding, life becomes less tolerable. Some headaches are so severe you would gladly surrender for a head-ectomy.

Tension headaches are the most common and can last 30 minutes or days. These are the headaches that feel like you have a band tightening around your head. They occur on both sides of the head making you feel like your head is in a vice. It is the “tightening” feeling that defines tension headaches.

Tension headaches can be caused by physical, mental or emotional stress. Eye strain can bring them on as can bad posture. Since muscle tension often plays a role, muscle relaxers may help reduce the pain. Over the counter medications including ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, aspirin and acetaminophen can be helpful. If your headaches are severe, you may want to try an over the counter migraine preparation or talk with your doctor about prescription medication like codeine, hydrocondone or butalbital.

Although tension headaches can be as severe as migraines, a true migraine has different symptoms.  Migraines are normally felt on one side of the head. They are often preceded by vision changes; patients reports seeing auras (light halos) around objects before the onset of the migraine. They cause photophobia, which is pain from light, and pain from sound.  Migraines are “sick headaches” causing nausea.

There are a number of medications which are used to treat migraine so you may have to work with your doctor trying out different medications or combinations of medications to lock onto the recipe that works best for you.

Migraines often cause sinus-type symptoms. You may think you are having severe allergy or cold symptoms when, in fact, you are experiencing the face and eye pain associated with migraine.

Sinus headaches rarely occur unless you have an infection. A sinus infection is serious. Because the sinuses are so close to the brain, you might easily develop bacterial meningitis from a sinus infection. Bacteria today is resistant to many of the antibiotics we use so it may take more than one course of treatment before the infection is resolved.

Infections are normally accompanied by change in the color of mucous. Normal mucous is white or pale yellow. With infection, the mucous becomes a deeper yellow or green. You will probably have a low grade fever and pain about the face and eyes. You may notice that your forehead and cheeks are tender to the touch. If your ears are affected, you may have a severe sore throat. Please, if you get nothing else out of this article, don’t take ear and sinus infections for granted. Get medical attention quickly and take all of your prescribed medication. Meningitis can cause permanent paralysis and brain damage.

Let’s spend just a minute on a delicate topic. Migraines may have a predictable trigger and there is a particular type of headache called a coital migraine. These are severe migraines which occur just prior to or during orgasm. They can last for hours or up to a day. These headaches are often episodic; they may be a problem for a few weeks or even months and then completely resolve only to return later. Talk honestly with your doctor about these headaches. Appropriate pre-medication may control your symptoms.

Cervicogenic headaches occur when you have issues high in the cervical spine. Normally, these headaches are accompanied by limitations in head and neck movement. Your headache is affected by the position of your head and lying down, with the neck well supported, will nearly resolve the headache after a short rest.

Cervicogenic headaches respond poorly to medication. These headaches can become as severe as migraines, but not respond at all to migraine medication prescription or otherwise. They will be constant, but vary in intensity. They last indefinitely; you will have the headache until the problem causing it is resolved.

It is important not to diagnose your own headaches. I have only barely scratched the tip of the iceberg here. There are many, many causes of headache some with severe consequences to your health. If you are having frequent headaches, please get medical help. Physical therapy and appropriate medication can greatly reduce or completely resolve your pain.

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Jackie Randa is a physical therapist who owns Back on Track in Barstow. She can be contacted at jranda@aol.com