Headaches can just be a pain in the head, but you can identify the type of headache by :- • Cause • Duration • Symptoms • intensity
There are 2 kinds:- • Episodic headache – Occurs once in a while – Can for several hours • Chronic headaches – Occur periodically – Can last for days – Pain management is essential
Tension headache • Dull, aching sensation • Tenderness and sensitivity around neck, forehead, scalp • Tightness in neck and shoulders • Occurs due to physical or mental stress
Cluster headache • Severe burning, piercing pain • Occur behind one eye, or one side of face • May have swelling, redness, sweating • May occur due to sinus and nasal problems
Migraines • Intense, deep pulsing pain • Can last for days • Limits functionality • Sensitivity to visual and audio stimuli • May be age or hormone or stress related
Also Read: What Are The Stages Of A Migraine?
Allergy or sinus headaches • Pain in sinus and front of head • Intense, pulsing pain • Nasal congestion and tearing of eyes • May be caused by allergies
Hormone headaches • Severe pain at the back of the head • Occurs mostly in women • Is due to hormonal imbalance • Associated with menstruation, birth control pills, and pregnancy • May occur periodically during menopause
Caffeine headaches • Caffeine affects blood flow to the brain • Giving up coffee can cause withdrawal migraines • Can occur with too much coffee as well as quitting • Can be managed by reducing coffee intake slowly
Hypertension headache • Pain on both sides of the head • Sensitivity to visual and audio stimuli • Has a pulsating quality • This kind of headache signals an emergency • Consult a doctor at once
Also Read: How to deal with Traumatic Brain Injury
Post traumatic headaches (After accident) • Develops after any type of head injury • Pain differs depending on trauma • Whiplash (Neck strain) can cause tension headaches • Can last for months after incident • Can become chronic
What causes constant or chronic headache is not clearly understood. Possible causes are inflammation or some other issues in blood-vessels in the head (brain and surrounding tissues), tumours in the brain, stroke, a serious injury to the head, meningitis which is a type of infection, and issues with intracranial pressure (either too high or too low).
Women are more at risk than men. Other risk factors include snoring, sleep apnoea, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, excessive caffeine consumption and overuse of medication for pain or headache.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
