A person can get a headache due to lots of reasons. It is the most common illness and a person can get it anytime. Most of the headaches are temporary and go away in hours. Meanwhile, some headaches may last for a day or twice. The intensity of these headaches can range from mild to severe depending on their type and causes. Get a proper headaches treatment New York if you are facing headaches often.
Types of headaches and their symptoms
There are more than 150 types of headaches. But some of the headaches are very common. Widely, headaches are divided into two categories: primary and secondary.
Primary headaches
Primary headaches are those headaches where head pain is the main condition. In simple words, the headache is not occurring due to any other body condition like allergies, illness, etc. These headaches are further classified into episodic and chronic. If the headaches are occurring often but not more than 15 days a month then this condition will be termed an episodic headache. Whereas, if the headaches are more constant like 20 days a month then it is known as chronic headache.
Tension headache
These are the most common headaches among teens and adults. The pain intensity of these headaches can range from mild to severe. Some people feel dull pain whereas some might get a throbbing sensation. The pain mainly occurs around the forehead, neck, shoulder muscle, or scalp. Tension headaches can occur anytime and are usually triggered by stress.
Cluster headache
Cluster headache is a severe type of headache where the person feels severe piercing pain and burning sensation. These headaches usually appear on one side of the face or behind the eye. Some common symptoms of cluster headaches are sweating, flushing, redness, or swelling on the affected side. Some people also get eye tearing or nasal congestion due to cluster headaches. Cluster headache appears in series. The headache can last for 15 minutes to 2-3 hours. A person faces around 3-4 headache episodes a day. These headaches usually appear at the same time of the day. Once the headache eases, another episode will occur in some time. A person can get cluster headaches for months. These headaches mainly appear in fall and spring. Cluster headaches are more common in men.
Migraine
This is a severe type of headache that causes pulsing and throbbing pain. Migraines can occur in stages and have high pain intensity. The pain can last for days and can cause problems in your daily routine. Migraines usually occur on one side and the person also gets sensitive to light and sound. Along with the pain, a person also faces vomiting and nausea. About one-third of people face an aura stage before migraine. In this stage, a person gets visual disturbances like seeing flashing lights, zigzag lines, blind spots, etc. Migraine can run in genes and can also occur due to brain chemical imbalance. This condition is more common in women than men. Some common migraine triggers are sleep disruption, several food items, changes in hormone level, dehydration, etc.
Ice pick headache
Ice pick headache or stabbing headache is a type of short but intense stabbing pain headache. This headache usually lasts for a few seconds only. A person can get ice pick headaches a few times a day. These headaches can appear on different parts of the head. But if a person is always facing these headaches in the same spot then he should visit a doctor.
Hemicrania continua
This is a moderate headache that often occurs on one side of the head. Hemicrania continua can last for about 3 months and the pain intensity may increase sometimes. This type of headache is more common in women. Symptoms of hemicrania continua are tearing, eyelid drooping, meiosis, nasal congestion, restlessness, etc.
Secondary headache
A person gets a secondary headache due to another condition. A headache is a symptom of another illness. A secondary headache can be chronic if the underlying condition is not treated.
Sinus headache
Sinus headaches usually appear due to allergies. The pain occurs on the front side of the head in the sinus area. Migraines are often misdiagnosed as sinus headaches as the pain intensity and symptoms are similar. People who are facing sinusitis are more susceptible to sinus headaches.
Hormone headache
These headaches are common in women as their hormone levels keep changing throughout their life. These headaches can be triggered by birth control pins, menstruation, and pregnancy.
Exertion headache
Exertion headaches appear due to intense physical activities like weightlifting and running. In some people, an exertion headache can be triggered by sexual intercourse. In these activities, the blood flow in the skull increases which causes throbbing pain.
Some other types of secondary headaches are hypertension headache, rebound headache, caffeine headache, post-traumatic headache, spinal headache, etc.
Treatment options for headaches
Treatments for headaches depend on their type and intensity. However, OTC is the common type of medication for managing pain. People also get relief using therapies and remedies.
Tension headaches
OTC pain relievers work well in easing tension headaches. Some common pain relievers are aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. If the OTC drugs are not working, your doctor may prescribe other medicines like meloxicam, indomethacin, ketorolac, etc.
Cluster headache
Doctors often recommend oxygen therapy, local anesthetic, or sumatriptan to treat cluster headaches. Your doctor may prescribe some drugs to prevent recurrence like melatonin, corticosteroids, etc.
Migraine
Lots of people use OTC to ease the pain. But if the pain intensity is high then people often use triptans as these drugs reduce inflammation. Triptans are available in pills, injections, or nasal spray. Doctors also prescribe some preventive medicines like metoprolol, propranolol, amitriptyline, etc.
Treatment for secondary headaches
You can use pain relief to reduce the pain. But taking these medicines won’t help a lot. The person has to treat the underlying condition. If the condition gets treated, the secondary headaches will also get better.
Natural medicines and remedies
Headaches can also be treated with natural medicines. These medicines provide good relief and don’t show any side effects. If you get headaches frequently, try some home remedies. Meditation can improve headache issues a lot. Regular meditation and yoga are excellent to prevent headache recurrence.