Health Centres - Headaches
What is a headache?
Headaches involve mild to severe pain in one or more parts of the head as well as the back of the neck. There are many different types of headache patterns and a variety of causes. While painful and annoying, the majority of headaches do not indicate a serious disorder and, in non-chronic cases, may be relieved by medicines and/or changes in lifestyle.
What causes headaches?
There is no single cause of headaches. A number of causes have been identified which fall into two general categories.
Tension headache usually occurs in isolated incidents but can become chronic for some people. Possible causes of muscle contraction associated with tension headaches include:
-
stress.
Migraine headache
Migraine is usually experienced as a throbbing pain on one side of the head with an associated feeling of sickness and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraines are known to affect more women than men and are often chronic. Below are some of the factors that have been identified as being associated with migraines:
What are the symptoms of tension and migraine headaches?
- Pain is often felt in the generalised area of the head and neck as opposed to on one side.
Migraine headache
- Throbbing, pulsating feeling usually worse on one side of the head.
When should you consult a doctor?
If any of the below symptoms are present your GP should be contacted immediately:
- a sudden, severe headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
How does the doctor make a diagnosis?
The doctor will ask for information about the headache, its length, duration, location, associated features, quality and causative factors.
For headaches with indication of a chronic or more serious disorder, the following diagnostic procedures might be performed, usually following assessment by a specialist:
- head CT (computerised tomography) scan.
-
fatigue.
- poor posture.
- eye strain.
-
tobacco and alcohol use.
- in women, hormonal changes occurring before and after a menstrual period.
Migraine is the cause of 20 per cent of all headaches. This type of headache occurs when blood vessels of the head and neck constrict, resulting in a decrease in blood flow to the vessels.
- prolonged muscle tension and stress.
- alcohol use.
-
smoking or exposure to tobacco smoke.
-
lack of sleep.
- for women, menstrual periods and the use of oral contraceptives.
- certain foods such as chocolate, nuts and fermented or pickled condiments, as well as foods containing the amino acid tyramine (aged cheese, red wine, smoked fish) and foods containing preservatives and artificial sweeteners.
- Pain may also be situated in the back of the head and neck and feel like a 'tight band'.
- Sometimes accompanied by muscle tightness in back of neck.
- Of relatively short duration if treated in time.
- Pain may be dull or severe and often begins in the morning, gradually worsening in an hour or so.
- Pain may be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, vertigo-like feeling and visual disturbances.
- Sensitivity to loud noises and light.
- Commonly lasts from a few hours to one or two days in some cases.
Most people with isolated tension headaches usually avail themselves to over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories, or self-treatment such as relaxation and sleep. However, for chronic headaches contact your GP to discuss possible causes and prevention.
- persistent and recurring headaches accompanied by memory problems, difficulty concentrating and tiredness.
- a high fever with neck stiffness (unable to bend the chin down to the chest).
- convulsions (fits).
- persistent vision disturbances (light flashes).
- trouble controlling arms and legs.
- loss of feeling in the arms and legs.
- tiredness and apathy with difficulty communicating.
An accurate history of any previous illnesses, family background, diet and lifestyle is crucial to help the doctor decide whether to perform further tests and to advise on treatment.
- head MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
- sinus X-rays.
-
temporal artery biopsy.
- lumbar puncture.
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