Headaches affect all levels of society, occur in every culture, and have been a part of the human condition since antiquity.
Almost everyone has experienced occasional headaches. Headaches are therefore a non-specific symptom in the same manner as a fever is a non-specific symptom of an infection.
When headaches are recurrent and interfere with function, they become a headche disorder. From a medical perspective, the headaches disorders are divided into tow groups, primary and secondary.
Primary headaches include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches.
They are called primary because no disease is present that is causing the headache. Migraines occur because of internal disruptions of the normal chemical and electrical balance of the brain and nervous system. In the secondary headache disorders, another disease is producing the headache (such a san infection, tumor, or overuse of pain medication).
When doctors evaluate a patient with headaches, they search for “comfort signs (sings that support the diagnosis of a primary headache) (look at a list below)and exclude the presence of “red flags'( signs that might suggest that another disease is causing the headache).
Comfort Signs in Diagnosing Headaches:
- History of previous similar headaches.
- Family history of similar headaches.
- Possible connection of potential triggers, including menses, alcohol, chocolate, etc.
- Expected response to therapy.
- Premonitory features or aura followed by a headache.
Secondary Headaches
Secondary Headaches are caused by underlying medical conditions including sinus disease, strokes, and brain tumors. Physicians and orofacial pain specialists can thoroughly diagnose you and determine causes for the headache.
The past decade has brought to light many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of headaches resulting in treatments for the most frustrated patients. Please give us a call for more information on headaches or to schedule an orofacial pain expert evaluation. Severe headaches should not be ignored. If you are experiencing numbness, paralysis, disorientation, double vision or inability to talk accompanying headaches then please contact your physician to schedule an immediate evaluation.
Primary Headaches
Fortunately, the vast majority of headache disorders are primary. In the general population the most common form of primary headache is tension-type headache, which effects about 40% of the population.
Tension-type headaches are characterized by generally mild, dull headaches that feel more like a constriction then throbbing and are not associated with nausea or intolerance to sound or light.
In people seeking medical treatment for headaches, the most common headache type is migraine.
A lot of medical conditions, such as TMD (correct term for TMJ disorders), apnea, active Trigger Points could contribute to frequent migraine attacks.
Tension-type headache only rarely interferes with a person’s life to the point that they seed medical care.
On the other hand, migraine frequently causes enough disruption in one’s life to warrant medical treatment. Therefore, if you seek medical attention for headaches that interfere with your life and receive a diagnosis of tension headache, you should discuss the diagnosis with your clinician or seek a second opinion.
