HEADACHES

A headache is a pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck. Headache, like chest pain or back ache, has many causes.

Headaches are extremely common; however, all patients who have headaches need to locate the underlying cause of the headache. Headaches are either simple or serious. A simple headache, or primary headache, is head pain that can be treated and there are no other conditions or complications causing the pain. There are several types of primary headaches such as: migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Serious headache is head pain are caused by other diseases. The associated disease may be minor or major.

Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache, and responds well to therapy and pain management. As many as 90% of adults have tension headaches, which the cause of those headaches is simple to locate and to diagnose.

Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. Although they are common, the causes of migraine headaches respond well to the appropriate therapy with the accurate diagnosis. An estimated 28 million people in the US have migraine headaches. Migraine headaches affect children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty more women than men have them. Migraine often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as tension or sinus headaches. Improper diagnosis of headaches can cause improper treatment to be prescribed. Head pain that is not responding to medications or therapy may be incorrectly diagnosed.

Cluster headaches are a rare but important type of primary headache, affecting mainly men. The average age of cluster headache sufferers is 28-30 years, although headaches may begin in childhood.

Secondary headaches may result from innumerable conditions, ranging from life threatening ones such as brain tumors, strokes, meningitis, and subarachnoid hemorrhages to less serious but common conditions such as withdrawal from caffeine and discontinuation of analgesics (pain killing medication). Many people suffer from "mixed" headache disorders in which tension headaches or secondary headaches may trigger migraine.

The treatment of the headache starts with the correct diagnosis from physicians who are experienced with all ranges of headaches. Proper treatment can only follow an accurate diagnosis. Not all physicians are trained to accurately diagnose headaches or pinpoint the causes for headaches. Our board certified doctors are experienced in proper diagnosis and will provide proper treatment headache techniques.