Headaches are unarguably bothersome and inconvenient. They can even be debilitating, impacting your quality of life.
There are many types of headaches, and there are many different ways to treat those headaches.
If you’ve wondered what kind of headache you’re experiencing, it could be one of these:
Tension headache: Very common; these can feel like someone is compressing your forehead, temples or neck. They are also known as stress headaches.
Migraine headache: These headaches can be disabling, with light and sound sensitivity, nausea and vomiting. They can be triggered by everyday factors like food, drinks, hormonal changes or sleep activity, and are sometimes recurring.
Cluster headache: While these can be more intense than a migraine, they may not last as long. These headaches can cause extreme pain behind or around one of your eyes, and are often recurring.
Secondary headache: This type of headache is caused by an underlying medical condition, which can include a known illness, head injury or high or low spinal fluid pressure. It can also be the sign of a serious undiagnosed condition like a brain tumor.
Facial pain: Though facial pain can be caused by many things, including from a temporary condition like a sinus infection, chronic pain conditions like trigeminal neuralgia can cause sudden, intense, debilitating pain anywhere on your face.
Chiari malformations: This condition may often go undiagnosed, as signs and symptoms vary greatly. This condition can be the result when a structural defect causes part of the brain to extend into the spinal canal.
Hemicrania type headaches: These often only affect one side of the head.
Because all headaches aren’t the same, they don’t necessarily need the same treatment.
If you are someone who suffers from excessive pain due to headaches, experts at the Henry Ford Health System have perfected creating a personalized treatment plan through an extensive diagnosis process, which includes medical history, a neurological exam and any neuroimaging that may be necessary.
Treatments may include:
- Medications
- Interventional procedures
- Intravenous infusions delivered in urgent care setting
- Nerve blocks
- Botox® treatment
- Pain psychology therapies
- Physical therapy
- Integrative medicine
- Lifestyle modification
- Nutritional supplements and vitamin therapies
- Neurosurgical procedures
Pharmacy Advantage aims to improve people’s lives through excellence in the science and art of health care and healing. Learn more about treating headaches during National Headache and Migraine Awareness Month by clicking or tapping here.