Nearly everyone has headaches at some point during the day, week, month or year. The problem is when they occur repeatedly or cause an interruption in daily life. Because there are so many reasons headaches can occur, it is imperative to figure out the cause of headaches so that a solution can be found. This is where the Texas Pain Care team in Sugar Land, Missouri City, and Houston areas will help. Explore effective headache treatment in Houston, Texas.
Simply put, headaches are characterized as pain in the head or face. The pain is often described as a feeling of pressure, whether that be throbbing, constant, sharp or dull. Headaches are the most common form of pain and are one of the most common reasons a child will miss school and an adult will miss work, as well as visits to healthcare providers. While most headaches aren’t dangerous, certain types of headaches can be a sign of a serious underlying condition.
The headache pain results from signals interacting between your brain, blood vessels and surrounding nerves. When a headache occurs, several mechanisms activate specific nerves that in turn affect muscles and blood vessels. These nerves send pain signals to the brain, which is what is felt as a headache.
There are also a tremendous amount of different headaches a person can experience – more than 150, in fact! All headaches fall into two main categories: primary or secondary, and the difference between the two is if the headache is related to an underlying condition or not.
Primary headaches are not caused by any underlying medical condition or disease. Types of primary headaches include tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches. Primary headaches are not technically dangerous, but they can cause disruptions to daily life and activity level. Primary headaches are the most common of the two types of headaches.
Secondary headaches, on the other hand, are associated with an underlying medical condition or disease that causes the headache. These headaches are considered a sign or symptom of a condition. Types of secondary headaches include dehydration headaches, sinus headaches and medication overuse headaches. While they are generally not considered dangerous and resolve once the underlying condition is treated, there are some life-threatening causes that require immediate medical attention. These causes include:
Overactivity or dysfunction of pain-sensitive features in the head are the cause of primary headaches. Some people might even have genes that make them more prone to experience primary headaches.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common headache diagnosed in adults and are not related to any neurological disorder. They most often occur later in the day, and are felt in the upper neck and back of the head. Pain levels are most often described as starting slowly but becoming worse with the introduction of bright lights, noise and stress. The pain can be described as a restricting, band-like pressure that encompasses the head, and sometimes the pressure can even be coupled with a stabbing or throbbing pain. Some additional symptoms of tension headaches can include poor sleep quality, irritability, inability to concentrate and depression.
Tension headaches can also be directly correlated to lifestyle factors or situations, such as:
Migraine Headaches
Although most common for adults (and women adults, especially), migraines also affect adolescents and children. A significant portion of the population has experienced a migraine, and migraines can differ from person to person. Pain from migraine headaches can be felt on either one side of the head or the other, or both. Sometimes a person might feel like vomiting, or might actually experience vomiting, while having a migraine.
Migraines are classified as either classical or common. The main difference between the two is that classical migraines are accompanied by visual disturbances while common migraines aren’t.
A common migraine features visual disturbances (wavy lines and/or auras) followed by pain on only one side of the head. Patients often describe these physical issues as:
Migraines occur in four stages, with symptoms sometimes taking place before the actual migraine itself begins. Some people experience all four stages while others don’t. The stages are:
Prodrome: Also known as the pre-monitory or pre-headache phase, this stage can last a few hours or even a few days. Sometimes this stage isn’t even experienced at all. Symptoms of this phase could include problems concentrating, irritability, trouble sleeping, nausea and fatigue.
Aura: This stage features changes in visual disturbances, which could include seeing spots, bright flashes of lights, or wavy lines. This phase can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. Symptoms of this phase could include seeing bright lights, experiencing blind spots in vision, numb or tingling skin, ringing in your ears, and a numb or tingling skin.
Headache: This is the main phase of the migraine, and can start with pain on one side of the head that spreads to the other. Most people won’t describe it as an “ache” either, as it could feel like a stabbing, drilling or throbbing pain. The headache phase can last anywhere from four hours to three days. Symptoms of this phase could include sensitivity to light/noise/odors, nausea and vomiting, sweating or having cold chills, dizziness and feeling tired.
Postdrome: Often described as the migraine “hangover,” this stage happens after the attack has ended, leaving the person feeling tired and trained. The majority of people who experience migraines experience this stage, which could go on for a day or two. Symptoms of this phase could include being unable to concentrate, depressed, fatigue or feeling euphoria.
For those who experience migraines, the frequency of migraine attacks could be as often as once a week, once a year, or any amount in between. However, the most common frequency is two to four migraine headaches per month. Migraines also tend to run in the family, so if you have parents who suffer from migraines, or even a direct relative who does, your chance of experiencing migraines increases.
Cluster Headaches
You can also send us a message
While specific headache causes depend on the headache being experienced, there are a few factors that contribute to having headaches in general. These common risk factors include dehydration, poor sleep, poor diet. But, there are more headache-specific causes for each type of headache.
Tension Headache Causes
Tension headaches are most commonly correlated with stress, which is why people who experience tension headaches find the symptoms worsen as the day progresses. This type of headache could be the result of eye strain due to extreme focus on a task, or musculoskeletal (myofascial) irritations, which include poor posture and jaw clenching.
Migraine Headache Causes
Migraines are a highly researched headache because of how many people experience migraines, and due to the fact that cluster headaches are sometimes characterized as migraine headaches. Research also recognizes that there’s a neurological component to migraines, and are thought to originate in the circulatory system with an additional imbalance in the serotonin neurotransmitter. Migraines also through genes, meaning that if your parents or direct family members experience migraines then there’s a very good chance you will as well.
Migraine headaches can be triggered by a variety of factors, which all include changes in the brain activity. What happens is that pain sensors in the brain become extra sensitive, creating negative and painful side effects. Migraine triggers include:
Emotional stress. One of the most common triggers of migraine headaches, emotional stress can cause a “flight or fight” response, which can bring on a migraine. Other emotions like anxiety, excitement and worry can also cause migraines and even make them more severe.
Loud noises and bright lights. This could include flashing lights, fluorescent lights and computer/TV lights.
Sensitivity to certain foods that contain chemicals and preservatives. If your diet is filled with chocolate, alcohol, aged cheese, nitrates and fermented or pickled food, you are at a greater chance for experiencing migraines.
An increase or decrease of caffeine. Blood vessels seem to become sensitized to caffeine and dramatic changes in caffeine intake can cause headaches to occur.
Hormonal changes in women. Migraines in women are more common around their periods because of the drop in estrogen. Additionally, hormonal changes, which could be brought on by birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, can cause headaches because of estrogen fluctuations. Women in menopause can expect fewer migraines.
Intense, rigorous workouts. Also known as an exercise-induced migraine, these occur when a person is dehydrated from working out, or working out in a very bright environment, participating in sports such as rowing, running, swimming, tennis or weightlifting.
Changes to your sleep. You might experience headaches when you sleep too much or not enough.
Missing a meal. Skipping meals can trigger a migraine because your blood sugar level drops, causing your body to release hormones that tell your brain you’re hungry. These same hormones could increase your blood pressure and tighten blood vessels in the body, causing a headache to occur.
Changes in weather. Storm fronts, changes in barometric pressure, strong winds and changes in altitude can all trigger a migraine.
Regardless of your particular symptoms, it’s helpful to keep a “migraine journal,” where you track when and why you think your migraine occurred. This helps your provider to learn more about what might be causing your migraines to then determine the best treatment option for you.
Cluster Headache Causes
Experts still don’t know the exact cause of cluster headaches, making the best course of treatment difficult to determine. At the core, cluster headaches are a type of trigeminal autonomic cephalgia headache disorder that involves the hypothalamus, a brain structure of the autonomic nervous system that’s main function is to keep the body in a stable state, and also the first branch of the trigeminal nerve, which is the nerve responsible for providing sensation to the face.
One possible cause of cluster headaches could be the opening of the blood vessels in the brain, which could cause acute and severe pain by compressing and irritating the cranial nerve (trigeminal). This is why many people who suffer from cluster headaches report changes in the motor function of their face, as well as pain typically around and in the eye, and tearing from the eye.
Another cause of cluster headaches could be linked to changes in barometric pressure that lead to changes in the hypothalamus, which controls the body’s circadian rhythm. The increase of light during the summer months could trigger this type of headache, which is why they are believed to be seasonal in nature.
This depends on what specific headache you continue to experience! The best way to treat your headaches is to determine what is triggering the headaches in the first place. One of the first aspects to consider is if you’re getting enough water and sleep, and eating a balanced diet. Once these simple factors are under control, your pain management specialist will focus on how to manage and mitigate pain during the headache period, and how to best decrease the occurrence of headaches in the future.
The good news is that not every type of headache treatment requires medication. Depending on the type of headache you’re experiencing, the frequency and duration, and what you believe might be causing it, the treatment options could include stress management, biofeedback (learning how to recognize and respond to stressful situations), medication and treating the medical condition causing the headache in the first place. Below are some examples of medicines that provide pain management treatment:
Another option for headache treatment includes occipital nerve blocks. Occipital nerve block injections may help to provide pain relief for certain headache disorders by targeting the group of nerves that bring sensation to the back and top of your head. The occipital nerve originates in the cervical spine, and when the nerve is compressed or injured, pain can be felt in the head and around the eyes. An occipital nerve block uses an anesthetic and corticosteroid to numb the greater and lesser occipital nerves. The anesthetic relieves pain, while the corticosteroid reduces inflammation. This block has two main benefits. Firstly, the resolution of pain. Secondly, if pain isn’t resolved, this lets providers know they need to search for other sources of pain.
While the above options help to treat the pain and other symptoms associated with headaches, they do not treat the cause of the headache themselves. It is also important to note that taking medications to combat the effects of headaches can cause a dependency on the medicine, which could create additional issues. This is why it’s important to place your trust in the Texas Pain Care team who is here to learn about your headache problem and work with you to put together a plan to minimize the frequency and duration of headaches so that you can get back to enjoying your best quality of life.
Are migraines curable? Yes! But not often when attempted alone. The benefit of working with the Texas Pain Care team of pain care specialists is that we know how to properly diagnose and treat all types of migraines, to help you enjoy the relief you’ve been looking for.
Some common preventative medications include antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, antihistamines, and cardiovascular drugs. Your provider is equipped to treat both the physical and mental aspects of a headache with a goal to improve both the person’s quality of life and managing the headache symptoms.
The best way to manage headaches is to combine the use of medication and improved lifestyle changes.
You, and your healthcare provider! Prevention methods you can do to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches include drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, not smoking, drinking less alcohol, and practicing stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation and acupuncture. Knowing the triggers that increase your chances of experiencing headaches, whether that be loud noises, light, caffeine use, lack of sleep, changes in diet, poor posture and stress, is key to managing the onset and minimizing headaches overall.
However, if you experience headaches once or twice per week, the symptoms are getting worse, and you find your dependency on pain medication is increasing, it’s time to reach out to your provider. The Texas Pain Care team of pain management specialists in Houston, Missouri City and Sugarland areas can provide expert care with a custom-tailored treatment plan to help you manage your headaches. No one headache is the same, so no one treatment method is the same. Place your trust in a team of dedicated professionals who will listen, learn and treat, with a goal to help you enjoy a pain free life.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, as the name might suggest, is a pain syndrome that can affect a region of the body and is both difficult to diagnose and treat. Patients who experience this syndrome report feeling extreme pain sensations, most common in their lower extremities, as well as changes to the skin itself.
Even the slightest back or hip or leg pain can feel like it’s never going to get better, and that you’ll never get back to running or sitting comfortably or swimming. That’s most often not the case, as the pain does subside. However, when it doesn’t, it’s life altering and mind consuming for the patient.
If you always find that your hands ache after cooking, your knees crack when you stand up after long periods of time, or your hips hurt after going for a short walk, you might be living with osteoarthritis. The feelings of pain that you are experiencing are happening as a result of the breakdown of cartilage around our bones that happens over time and with use, which causes the bones to rub together.
Get out of pain
Get back to living
Treatments
Conditions
