Headaches

The pain you feel when you have a headache is due to signals sent from the nerves in your head to your brain. Why these nerves are sending pain signals isn’t always clear, because pain is a sign that there’s tissue damage, and many headaches arise when there’s no damage to tissues in your head.

There are some known triggers for headaches, such as:

• Respiratory infections and fevers
• Head and neck injuries
• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Excessive alcohol
• Dehydration
• Chemicals, allergens, and pollutants
• Noise or light
• Changes in the weather
• Dehydration
• Genetics

There are more than 150 different types of headaches. Two debilitating forms of headache that the team at Pain Specialty Group treats are migraines and cluster headaches.

What are migraines?

Migraines are headaches that cause extreme, often-debilitating head pain as well as other symptoms including:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sensitivity to light, sound, touch, and smell
• Blurred vision
• Lightheadedness

The pain of a migraine is often so intense that it’s impossible to function normally during an attack. Many people also experience auras before or during a migraine. Auras are disturbances in the senses that can make you see flashing lights or spots before your eyes. Sometimes the onset of these symptoms is a signal that a migraine is coming.

What are cluster headaches?

Cluster headaches are short but very painful headaches that occur several times a day for a period of weeks or months at a time. The pain is similar to a migraine and involves the same trigeminal nerve in your head.

Cluster headache pain may be more severe than a migraine at times. However, cluster headaches tend to last for considerably less time than a migraine. Cluster headaches aren’t that common and usually begin before you reach 30. Sometimes they disappear for years at a time, but they may just as easily return.

How are headaches treated?

Mild to moderate everyday headaches often go away if you take an over-the-counter pain-relieving medication. You should also think about such possible triggers as stress, and make sure you’re eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water.

If your headaches are severe or occur frequently, the team at Pain Specialty Group can provide a range of effective treatments to relieve your symptoms. The approach that’s best in each case varies according to the cause of your headache, but it may include:

• Blood pressure medication
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Anti-seizure medications
• Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors
• Muscle relaxants
• Relaxation and biofeedback
• Decongestants
• Medical Botox® injections
• Electrical and magnetic pulse technologies
• Triptans
• Ergotamine and caffeine
• Anti-nausea medicine
• Glucocorticoids
• Beta-blockers
• Lisinopril (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor)
• Steroid trigger point injections

If frequent or severe headaches are affecting your day-to-day life, call Pain Specialty Group today to schedule an appointment, or use the online booking tool.