Pain that occurs in the head is known as headache. It is one of the most common medical complaints. It is a common problem and almost everyone has suffered this ailment sometime or the other in life.

Although the cause of many headaches is unclear, several potential causes have been identified by researchers that include the dilation of blood vessels or the contraction of muscles. In addition to pain, headaches are sometimes accompanied by nausea, running nose, and sensitivity to light or sound.

Headache Causes

Causes for headaches are often due to reactions of the body to some specific factors. Hormonal changes, uncorrected nearsighted or farsighted vision, dietary factors, sensory stimulus and emotions are some of the common triggers of headaches.

Different headaches have different causes of pain and are diagnosed accordingly. Vascular headaches that include migraines and cluster headaches occur due to dilation or swelling of the blood vessels in the brain. The muscle contraction ones include tension headache that develop due to the result of tightening of muscles in the face, neck or possibly from the restriction of blood flow to the brain. The traction ones are due to the pulling or stretching of pain-sensitive parts of the head like tension in the eye muscles etc. The inflammatory headaches and the idiopathic ones are some other types of headaches.

Headache Treatment

Abortive treatment is often used at the first sign of headache for maximum effect. It is aimed at stopping or reducing the pain. Medicines like Analgesics, Triptans, Dihydroergotamine and Decongestants are also used to treat headaches. Other therapies used in conjunction with medication are some relaxation techniques, acupuncture or acupressure, and Botox injections. Though most headaches can't be considered to be life-threatening disorders, some of them may need immediate medical attention if they are accompanied by unusual symptoms like vision abnormalities, speech problems, or numbness.



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