Whether your headache is throbbing, squeezing, mild, or severe, one feeling is universal: you want it to go away!
Headaches fall into two many categories: primary and secondary.
A primary headache occurs because of the headache condition itself, and is not due to an underlying disease. The most common primary headaches include:
- Migraine: A severe, throbbing headache that usually occurs on one side of the head. Symptoms include muscle tension, nausea, and vomiting, as well as increased sensitivity to light and sound.
- Cluster Headaches: A series of relatively short, but intensely painful headaches that occur everyday for weeks or months at a time. Sufferers experience one sided pain, usually centered around one eye, and symptoms such as, red or teary eyes, runny or stuffy nose, flushing or sweating of the face or a sense of agitation.
- Tension Headache: Head pain that is dull and aching, and feels like a tight band around the head.
If you have a stable pattern of headache over many months or years, it is most likely a primary headache condition. Head into our clinic for a proper diagnosis. Our medical team can provide medication and recommend lifestyle changes to help you manage your pain.
A headache is secondary when it is a symptom of another disease or condition. There are a multitude of conditions that can affect the pain-sensitive nerves in the head and lead to secondary headaches. Common conditions and diseases that cause secondary headaches include:
- Concussion
- Dehydration
- Dental problems
- Ear infection (middle ear)
- Fever
- Flu
- Glaucoma
- Hangovers
- High blood pressure
- Medications to treat other disorders
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- Overuse of pain medication
- Panic attacks and panic disorder
- Pressure from tight headgear
- Sinus infection
As well as more serious, life-threatening conditions, such as:
- Brain aneurysm
- Brain tumor
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Encephalitis (brain inflammation)
- Meningitis
- Stroke
The American Migraine Foundation provides this helpful list of warning signs to help determine if your headache is caused by an underlying condition.
Seek emergency help for:
- Abrupt, severe headache
- Headache with a fever, stiff neck, mental confusion, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness or speaking difficulties
- Headache after a head injury, especially if the headache gets worse
In other instances, simply walk into our clinic.
Our friendly medical team can evaluate your head pain, assess additional symptoms, and recommend a treatment plan to help you find relief. Headaches are common, but you don’t have to live with the pain. Let us help you better understand and treat your headaches.