How Is Frontal Lobe Headache Treated
Treatment will depend on the severity of your headache and the possible triggers. Most frontal lobe headaches can be treated with OTC pain medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen , ibuprofen , or naproxen . There are also OTC combination drugs. These include a pain killer and a sedative or caffeine. Be aware, though, that overuse of some headache remedies can make your headaches worse.
Other headache remedies are geared to help you relax and reduce stress. Avoid any particular stress triggers that you have identified. Establish a daily routine that includes regularly scheduled meals and enough sleep. Other stress-busting remedies include:
- a hot shower or bath
- regular exercise
When To See A Doctor
Headaches are common and most people will experience them in their lifetime. Typically, headaches do not cause debilitating pain and can be managed with over-the-counter medication.
However, if you get frequent headaches or your headaches stop you from performing everyday activities, you should discuss the issue with a healthcare professional.
There are also times when a headache can be an indication of something more serious. You should contact a medical professional if you have a severe headache accompanied with other symptoms, such as:
Additional circumstances in which your headache should be investigated by a healthcare provider include:
- Headaches that come on suddenly
- A headache that worsens over a few weeks
- Unusual visual symptoms that last longer than an hour and are accompanied by muscle weakness
- Headaches that occur in the morning and don’t go away
Schedule An Appointment For Your Neck Pain With Disc
If you have neck pain and headaches, figuring out what is causing the pain can help you get relief. At DISC, our team of specialists at practices throughout the greater Phoenix, Arizona, area can diagnose your condition. We can then offer you relief tips for headaches caused by neck pain.
We always recommend the least invasive options first. You might see improvement with conservative solutions like heat and cold, relaxation techniques or medication. If your neck pain and headaches continue, surgery might be the best option to help you get the relief you want. To learn more, contact DISC today to schedule an appointment.
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Whats The Connection Between Eye Strain And A Headache
When you look at objects or screens at a close range, the muscles in and around your eyes need to work harder to focus. Over time, these muscles can get sore and tired, just like any other muscle in your body.
Similarly, squinting for a long period of time may trigger spasms in your facial muscles and the muscles around your eyes. These spasms can lead to eye strain headaches.
To identify the cause of your eye strain headache, consider what you were doing before your symptoms developed. This will help you determine how to reduce discomfort.
Lets take a closer look at some of the most common causes of eye strain headaches.
Hormonal Headache Vs Menstrual Migraine
While a hormonal headache and a menstrual migraine are both caused by fluctuating hormones, the difference between the two involves the severity of the head pain.
A hormonal headache may be mild to moderate and cause a nagging ache or throb. Its a nuisance and uncomfortable, but it might not interfere with your day-to-day routine.
A menstrual migraine, on the other hand, can be debilitating. According to the National Headache Foundation, menstrual migraine affects about 60 percent of women.
If you regularly experience migraine attacks, you may be susceptible to menstrual migraine.
A menstrual migraine differs from a regular migraine in that it isnt usually associated with an aura. Aura refers to flashing lights, zigzag lines, or other sensory experiences that some people experience before a migraine attack.
A menstrual migraine is characterized by severe throbbing that can start on one side of the forehead and travel to the other. The severity can make it difficult to keep your eyes open, work, or even think.
Treatment for a hormonal headache and a menstrual migraine depend on the severity.
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Tips To Relieve Headaches From Neck Pain
After youve figured out the cause of your neck pain and headaches, there are things you can do at home to help ease the pain and start to feel better. Heres how to relieve headaches caused by neck pain:
1. Improve Workplace Ergonomics
Adjusting how you work is good for preventing headaches caused by pain in the neck. How you sit at work can put strain and pressure on your neck. If possible, adjust the height of your monitor so you are looking directly at it rather than up or down.
If you sit, choose a chair that is the appropriate height for you. Your feet should rest flat on the floor when you sit, and your knees should be a few inches from the edge of the chair. If you have to look down at paperwork while on the job, consider getting a stand to hold the documents at eye level so you arent constantly bending your neck.
2. Improve Your Posture
Your posture has a significant effect on how your neck feels. If you regularly slouch, you put a lot of extra weight on the head and neck, leading to pain and discomfort.
The first step toward improving your posture is becoming aware of it. When you stand, notice the angle of your back, neck and shoulders. Try to stand up as tall and straight as possible. That means pulling in your stomach and pushing your shoulders back slightly. Your head should be level as if you are balancing a book on it.
3. Improve Your Sleep
4. Exercise More
5. Schedule a Massage
6. Manage Your Stress
7. Try Heat and Cold
What Causes Sinus Headaches
Sinus infections cause sinus headaches. Anything that makes mucus buildup in the sinuses can lead to a sinus infection, such as:
- The common cold is most often to blame.
- Seasonal allergies trigger mucus production.
- Nasal polyps, abnormal growths in the nose or sinuses. Nasal polyps can block mucus from draining.
- Deviated septum, which is when the line of cartilage and bone down the center of the nose isnt straight. A deviated septum can prevent mucus from properly draining.
Too much mucus gives germs an opportunity to grow. As germs build up, they irritate the sinuses. In response, sinus tissue swells, blocking the passage of mucus. Swollen, irritated sinuses filled with liquid make your face feel tender and achy.
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When To Contact A Medical Professional
- You are experiencing “the worst headache of your life.”
- You have speech, vision, or movement problems or loss of balance, especially if you have not had these symptoms with a headache before.
- The headache starts very suddenly.
- The headache occurs with repeated vomiting.
- You have a high fever.
Also, contact your provider if:
- Your headache patterns or pain change.
- Treatments that once worked are no longer helpful.
- You have side effects from medicines, including irregular heartbeat, pale or blue skin, extreme sleepiness, persistent cough, depression, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, cramps, dry mouth, or extreme thirst.
- You are pregnant or could become pregnant. Some medicines should not be taken when pregnant.
Prescription Painkillers For Frequent Tension Headaches
For those people who have frequent or recurring tension headaches, doctors sometimes recommend prescription-strength doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen or naproxen.
Indocin , an NSAID that is available only by prescription, is “usually used for arthritis, but can also be very useful as a headache treatment,” Dr. Rozental says. “Indomethacin‘s downside is that it is among the drugs most likely to cause gastric irritation as a side effect,” including stomach ulcers and bleeding. It can also harm kidney function if taken at high doses or chronically.
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“Sometimes women can experience tension headaches or migraines that are worse around the time of menses,” says Gupta. NSAIDs, such as Advil or Aleve, might relieve the pain, while menstrual migraines are usually treated with similar treatments as regular migrainesthough, your doc may recommend adjusting your medication during your period, says Gupta.
Cluster headaches can be one of the most severe types of headaches in terms of pain . They commonly present with intense stabbing pain in or around one eye on one side of your head, says Gupta. “Cluster headaches are usually very short-lasting , but occur many times in a day or week ,” she adds. Treatment decisions for cluster headaches are best left to headache specialists and neurologists, says Franc, but can include injectable medications, prescription nasal sprays, and oxygen therapy, as well as preventative medications.
When To See A Doctor For Headaches And Migraine
If head pain ever gets in the way of your day-to-day lifeeven if it only strikes once a monthits helpful to see a doctor. With that said, there are a lot of factors that can get in the way of making that appointment.
Dr. Starling says people sometimes dont want to see a doctor because previous treatments didnt work for them. Sometimes people stop engaging with health care professionals because they feel a little bit hopeless, she says. Her plea to patients is: Please reengage with health care professionals regarding your migraine disease because we have so many new options available.
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Prolonged Use Of Digital Screens
Looking at a digital screen for a long time is the most common cause of eye strain. In this case, the condition is called digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome.
When you focus on a screen, you tend to blink less often. This can lead to dry eyes, which may cause irritation.
The following scenarios might also worsen digital eye strain:
- excessive glare or reflection on your screen
- low contrast between the screen text and background
- digital screens placed at incorrect distances
Youre more likely to develop digital eye strain if you look at a screen for 2 or more hours without taking a break.
You Can Take Aspirin For A Headache When You’re Pregnant
For moms-to-be, acetaminophen is a better choice for pain relief. Since aspirin can cause extra bleeding during labor, you shouldn’t take it during the last 6-8 weeks youâre pregnant unless your doctor tells you to. If you’re likely to have preeclampsia, your doctor will probably recommend a low dose of aspirin to prevent high blood pressure and protein in your urine.
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Tips For Relieving Headaches Caused By Neck Pain
You know the signs of a headache, such as a dull ache or a feeling of tightness creeping up your neck and across your forehead. Headaches are among the most commonly occurring ailments in the world. More than half of all women report having tension headaches at some point, and one-third of all men report the same. In the U.S., 20% of women and 10% of men said they had a severe headache at some point in the past three months. Multiple factors can trigger a headache, depending on the type. In some cases, a headache is due to neck pain.
Learn more about the connection between pain in the neck and headaches below and what to do for headaches caused by neck pain.
Check If It’s A Tension Headache
Common symptoms of tension headaches include:
- pain on both sides of your head, face or neck
- feeling like something is pressing on your head or being tightened around it
- the affected area may feel tender and your head may hurt more when touched
You should be able to continue doing daily activities without making the headache worse.
Tension headaches last at least 30 minutes but they can last much longer, sometimes for several days.
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What Types Of Headache Are Serious Or Dangerous
All headaches are unpleasant and some, such as headache from medication misuse, are serious in the sense that when not tackled properly they may never go away. However, a few headaches are signs of serious underlying problems. These are uncommon – in many cases very rare.
Dangerous headaches tend to occur suddenly, and to become progressively worse over time. They are more common in older people. They include the following:
Why Do I Wake Up With A Headache
Morning headaches can occur for a variety of reasons. You may experience one once in a while after a poor nights sleep or when experiencing stress, or you may experience them regularly.
Early morning headaches may be the result of a change in your body physiology. In the early morning hours, your bodys level of internal pain reduction may be lowered. Additionally, your body may make more adrenalin during this time, resulting in migraine episodes.
Early morning headaches will often wake you up after 4 a.m., or they may be present when you wake up. The most common types of morning headaches are:
- cluster headache
- tension headaches
Headaches related to sleep apnea also tend to occur in the early morning. One study showed that 1 out of 5 people with sleep apnea reported morning headaches.
Migraine attacks are a very common type of headache that occur most often in the early morning. Migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world, and nearly 1 in 4 U.S. households include someone with migraine.
Sleep disorders and disturbances can lead to headaches, especially migraine. Emerging
- a combination of medication and therapy
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For Chronic Or Severe Headaches
If your headaches are chronic, the doctor may refer you to a psychotherapist or psychologist for counseling. You can work together to resolve stress problems and learn biofeedback and stress reduction techniques.
For more severe chronic headaches, the doctor or therapist may prescribe other drugs, such as muscle relaxants. If depression is a factor in triggering your headaches, the doctor may prescribe an antidepressant. Antidepressants and muscle relaxants do not have an instantaneous effect. They may take some time to build up in your system, so be patient.
In some cases, you may have more than one type of headache and several different medications may be prescribed. If your headaches persist after initial treatment, the doctor may order brain imaging tests to make sure there are no other possible causes of pain, such as a tumor or aneurysm. Magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography are commonly used for brain imaging.
Signs Of An Eye Strain Headache
- Develops after prolonged eye activity. Eye strain headaches appear after you focus on something for a long time. They wont develop when you wake up or if you havent been reading, watching, or focusing on something for a period of time.
- Pain gets better with rest. Typically, an eye strain headache will subside once you rest your eyes.
- No digestive discomfort. Unlike other types of headaches, eye strain headaches are rarely associated with vomiting or nausea.
- Pain behind your eyes. The pain is usually located behind or around your eyes. The area might feel sore or tired.
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When Should I Call The Doctor
If you think your headaches may be migraines, you’ll want to see a doctor to treat them and learn ways to try to avoid getting the headaches in the first place. Sometimes relaxation exercises or changes in diet or sleeping habits are all that’s needed. But if needed, a doctor also can prescribe medicine to help control the headaches.
You’ll also want to see a doctor if you have any of these symptoms as well as a headache:
- changes in vision, such as blurriness or seeing spots
- tingling sensations
- weakness, dizziness, or difficulty walking or standing
- neck pain or stiffness
If you do see a doctor for headaches, he or she will probably want to do an exam and get your to help figure out what might be causing them.
The doctor may ask you:
- how severe and frequent your headaches are
- when they happen
- about any medicine you take
- about any allergies you have
- if you’re feeling stressed
- about your diet, habits, sleeping patterns, and what seems to help or worsen the headaches
The doctor may also do blood tests or imaging tests, such as a CAT scan or MRI of the brain, to rule out medical problems.
Sometimes doctors will refer people with headaches they think might be migraines or a symptom of a more serious problem to a specialist like a , a doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system.
It’s very rare that headaches are a sign of something serious. But see a doctor if you get headaches a lot or have a headache that:
Dont Go Cold Turkey On Caffeine
If you’ve recently cut back on your coffee consumption or quit java altogether, caffeine withdrawal might be the culprit behind your headaches.
“Caffeine withdrawal is a common cause of headaches and occurs in individuals who regularly drink more than five cups of coffee a day and suddenly stop their caffeine intake,” says Michael Richardson, MD, a primary care doctor at One Medical in Boston, Massachusetts.
Instead of abstaining entirely, Dr. Richardson recommends swapping out that morning cappuccino for a cup of green tea in order to wean yourself off slowly. Here are three more tips to help you cut back without the painful side effects.
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Treating Sinus Headaches With Advent
While sinus headaches may be confused with migraines or tension headaches, they are common if you suffer from sinusitis or have issues within The Breathing Triangle®.
Not to worry, there are many simple in-office solutions for you to solve your chronic sinus headaches. In fact, ADVENT has helped over 30,000 people get to the root of their sinus and sleep issues for good…