It is difficult to surprise anyone with this problem - according to WHO statistics, at least once a year, 75% of earthlings aged 18 to 65 have a headache. As a rule, pain in your skull is caused by banal factors: a hangover, a genetic predisposition to migraines, hypertension and osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. But there are also reasons that will take anyone by surprise.

Cough, sneeze, laugh and constipation

Most often, a headache occurs due to an increase in blood pressure in the skull. For example, yes. You coughed, because of these spasms the pressure in the abdominal cavity increased, then the process reached the skull; the vessels pressed harder than usual on the surrounding tissues, the nerve endings fixed the pain. When coughing, sneezing and laughing, you tense up somehow at once, so the pain because of them is sharp, as if splitting the skull into pieces. What happens when you push in the toilet is also understandable. They do not do such things quickly, so the pain increases gradually.

How to help yourself Do not be afraid and do not bury yourself ahead of time. According to experts at the Mayo Clinic Medical Center (USA), a headache that is caused by coughing, laughing, sneezing or constipation, and not other more terrible causes, usually disappears in half an hour. The first time you experienced new sensations, coughing? Do not relax, such attacks, as a rule, repeat several more times within a week or two, and then disappear for a year or longer. If events develop according to the above scenario, nothing threatens your health. Why did the pain come, why did it go away? Doctors cannot answer: not a pathology - and okay.

But it’s worth getting excited if a headache caused by bursting laughter, etc., torments you in a different way: for example, more than half an hour, longer than one or two weeks, every day, causes nausea, loss of consciousness, or leaves you feeling unwell. Make an appointment with a neurologist, perhaps the vessels are no longer pressing on healthy tissues, but on an aneurysm, a tumor, or a defect in the cerebellar vermis.

An emergency remedy for a headache due to constipation is a couple of tablespoons of castor oil or some other laxative. In general, it is high time for you to lean on the coarse vegetable fibers that improve digestion, which are abundant in vegetables, fruits and wholemeal flour products. In addition, boil your grounds thinner - drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

Sex

Imagine you are on the verge of orgasm, and then your head starts to hurt. This happens, however, quite rarely - according to a study by the University of Copenhagen, only 1% of men. The pain can build up gradually as you become more aroused, or come on suddenly when you're ready to fire the final salvo. This syndrome is called "coital cephalgia", the mechanism of action on the receptors is the same as in the previous paragraph: pressure increases inside the skull. However, the reason is different - the jump of the manometer needle causes a simultaneous expansion of the vessels of the head and a strong contraction of the muscles of the neck (this is how your body prepares for orgasm). Why does this reaction of the body cause some headache, while others do not - it has not been established for sure. But scientists have noticed that those who pamper themselves with Viagra are more likely to develop coital cephalalgia than those who are aroused the old fashioned way.

How to help yourself Let's say you have a headache during intercourse. Your main task is not to panic. It is also not necessary to interrupt the act, but precautions should be taken - according to the symptoms, an intracranial aneurysm is similar to coital cephalalgia, which is better not to overexert. Experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences advise you to do this: change your active role to a passive one - lie on your back and just watch your partner sweat on you. If it's just your body's reaction to an impending orgasm that causes a headache, it (the headache) will torment you for a few more days and go away on its own. If it hasn't gone away in a week, abstain from sex for a month. After a break, does your head hurt again? Go see a neurologist looking for an aneurysm or something worse.

caffeine withdrawal

Decided to sleep in on Saturday and woke up with a headache? If on weekdays you regularly start your morning with a bucket of strong coffee, then you may have earned a caffeine addiction. Your head is cracking on this beautiful morning because you didn't put the dose into the furnace in time. A year ago, caffeine withdrawal received official status in the United States: it was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.

How to help yourself Reduce your coffee intake, and it's best to do it gradually. “If you drink three cups a day, start drinking two and a half,” advises Matthew Robins, director of the Montefiore Medical Center (USA). As an additional incentive to stop, take note: scientists from the American Psychiatric Association say that a headache is not the worst thing that threatens you with caffeine withdrawal. The list of symptoms also includes tachycardia, insomnia, confusion of speech and thoughts.

Workout without a warm-up

An approach, another approach, and then a headache overtakes you. “The reason may be a sharp increase in the production of hormones by the adrenal glands due to intense exercise,” explains Matthew Robins. In our everyday language, this means that your adrenal glands, in response to a stressful load, release a lot of adrenaline into the blood, which, in turn, increases your blood pressure, and after it the pressure in your head increases. This happens to athletes when they either forget to warm up or do it carelessly.

How to help yourself Spend at least 10 minutes stretching and/or running before your main workout. If you, while doing the exercise and gradually increasing the load (for example, by increasing the angle of the treadmill), at some point feel the approach of a headache, stop complicating the task, do it at this level. Next time, the threshold can be slightly increased.

Complete victory over stress

Hooray, you solved all the problems! However, the reward for triumph can be a headache, especially if the recent stress was prolonged - for example, you spent a week trying to turn in an advance report at work. The fact is that the hormone cortisol produced in your body under extreme circumstances only initially has an analgesic effect. If the stress drags on, the sensitivity of pain receptors, on the contrary, becomes aggravated - your body quickly runs out of its own anesthetics. Naturally, the nervous system cannot recover instantly after the end of stress, and therefore during this period you are more prone to all sorts of pains, including headaches. Here is a study published in the journal Neurology: if you have just recovered from a nervous situation, in the next 6 hours the probability that your jug ​​will begin to crack increases 5 times.

How to help yourself The easiest way to avoid a post-stress bum is to not experience stress. How to do this with the help of training, sleep and breathing exercises, we have repeatedly written -.

Here is another reason to get rid of the "lifeline" at the waist: scientists from Johns Hopkins University (USA) found that fat people have a headache twice as often as those who maintain normal weight. Overweight lead to the development of sluggish inflammatory processes in your body. Including in your head.

Everyone experiences headaches of varying intensity from time to time. Some suffer from chronic headaches almost daily. Most often, such pains are a kind of signal that some system is disrupted in the body, and it needs a thorough examination. The sooner you determine why your head hurts, the sooner the focus of the spread of pain will be extinguished.

Pain occurs under the influence of a variety of reasons: from the banal “got up on the wrong foot” to the development of serious diseases that require immediate treatment. There are several main types of headaches that have their own symptoms and causes.

Overvoltage is to blame

Tension headache is of a pressing nature and occupies the whole head, especially in the neck and occipital part of the head. Such pain can occur at any time of the day, accompanied by irritability, general weakness, unwillingness to do what you love, anxiety and other symptoms.
There is a feeling of constriction in the head, as if under the influence of a vise. The cause of this type of pain is a change in the muscle tone of the neck and scalp, caused by both physical fatigue and emotional overstrain.

It is noteworthy that tension headaches are predominantly characteristic of people with an unbalanced temperament, as well as people prone to constant worries and self-flagellation. negative emotions and anxiety, suppressed by a person, cause severe headaches.

Bad habits, sedentary work in front of a computer, improper wearing of earrings or special clips that pinch certain points in the earlobe, as well as many other factors, can provoke headaches.

What to do to calm a sore head? First of all, you can take painkillers, which will help relieve tension. In addition to medicines, it is recommended to brew herbal teas that have a calming effect on the entire body.

An assistant in the fight against tension headache is also a neck and shoulder massage, which you can perform on your own. special breathing exercises It will help drive away bad thoughts and restore balance to the body.

To forget about the problem for a long time, you need to get rid of the cause of its occurrence. If, for example, sedentary work is to blame for everything, it is necessary to do light gymnastics more often right at the workplace, breathe in the air, and it is especially important not to take difficulties to heart.

Watch the pressure

Vascular headaches are characterized, first of all, by the fact that they capture the occipital and frontal parts of the head. Another reason why the head may hurt is a change in the tone of the cerebral vessels, which is expressed in an increase or decrease in blood pressure.

So, even a slightly elevated blood pressure causes discomfort mainly in the morning, responding with a sharp pulsation in the head. An unpleasant symptom is aggravated by turning the head, physical exertion and in a noisy environment.

With reduced pressure, the whole body is shackled by general weakness and dizziness. The feeling of a cast-iron head prevents you from doing business and living at your usual pace. To get rid of dizziness, you need to return blood pressure to normal.

People with vegetovascular dystonia and osteochondrosis are prone to frequent visits of such pain. In addition, a headache of this kind occurs with sudden changes in weather conditions, as well as on the eve of the onset of menstruation. During pregnancy, vascular headaches stop, but begin again after the refusal of breastfeeding.

Medications, whose action is aimed at stabilizing cerebral vessels and maintaining normal blood pressure, will help get rid of such pains. You can also relieve tension with a neck and shoulder massage, herbal tea, and avoiding caffeinated foods.

Trapped in a migraine

Almost everyone has heard about migraine, but not everyone knows what is the cause of its occurrence, how to distinguish a migraine from a normal headache, and what to do to ease the attack. So, migraine is manifested by bouts of acute headache, covering only one part of the head.

A sharp pulsation in the head, which unsettles a person, is due to the narrowing and expansion of the vessels of the brain. In addition, some experts believe that the cause of migraine attacks may be a violation of the metabolism of serotonin, which is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses.

Among other things, migraine is one of those ailments that torment some people because of their hereditary predisposition to this pathology. The victims of migraine are most often representatives of the beautiful half of humanity.

Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, active smoking, a sedentary and reclusive lifestyle, as well as sudden flashes of light, pungent odors and too loud sounds can provoke an attack.

The attack may be accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, profuse sweating, the effect of darkness in the eyes and bifurcation of the observed picture.

For the treatment of migraine at the initial stage, it is necessary to take drugs whose pharmacological action is aimed at dilating blood vessels. At the next stage, preference is given to medicines that narrow blood vessels. If your head starts to hurt, you can soften the attack by relaxing in a dark and quiet room.

Sleep and eating disorders

One of the most common reasons why it seems that the brain hurts is sleep disturbance and improper nutrition. Rhythm modern life dictates its own rules of life, and many people adapt to it to the detriment of their own health.

Lack of sleep or a shift in periods of sleep and wakefulness inevitably leads to headaches. A healthy sleep of an adult should last 7-8 hours, moreover, it is desirable to fall asleep before midnight and wake up before 10 am. Compliance with sleep and wakefulness will not only prevent discomfort in the head, but also have a beneficial effect on the figure, provided a balanced diet.

Food, in turn, can cause not only the stomach to hurt, but also the head. Certain substances contained in certain products and which have Negative influence on the vessels, provoke acute irritation throughout the body. These substances include: tyramine (beer, chocolate, smoked meats and much more); sodium nitrate (sausages, canned food); monosodium glutamate (chips, croutons, instant noodles, etc.).

What to do to protect your body from headaches caused by harmful and junk food? In this case, a balanced diet that includes all necessary elements and based on the rejection of headache provocateur products.

The very occurrence of this disease indicates a violation of the balance in the work of the whole organism. If the causes of the headache lie in sleep and nutrition disorders, the patient can independently regain a healthy body and good mood, provided that he switches to a normal sleep and nutrition regimen.

When Pills Don't Help

As a rule, usually the head hurts due to more or less harmless and solvable problems, however, in rare cases, the causes of the disease are so serious that the patient requires hospitalization.

Such reasons include, for example, infectious and inflammatory diseases brain (encephalitis, meningitis, abscesses), viral diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular system, dental diseases, otitis and much more.

If you get rid of a headache with pills and folk remedies if it doesn’t work, you need to see a doctor and undergo an examination to determine why your head hurts.

Headache testing

The examination is carried out on modern devices and affects several areas of the patient's body at once. So, to diagnose the disease that caused pain, the following procedures are usually performed:

• Computed tomography allows you to identify defects in cerebral circulation, neoplasms in the skull, pathologies in the development of the brain, as well as injuries that are traumatic in nature, and much more;
• Magnetic resonance imaging provides more opportunities than computed tomography, affecting not only the brain, but also the spinal cord. With its help, it is possible to diagnose many diseases, including, for example, tumor neoplasms, intervertebral hernia, sinusitis, and so on;
• magnetic resonance angiography allows you to examine and evaluate the state of the vessels of the brain and neck;
• blood pressure monitoring helps to identify existing problems that are associated with blood pressure, and build a course of treatment to bring pressure back to normal;
• laboratory blood tests are performed to detect infectious or inflammatory diseases;
• an ophthalmological examination is mandatory for headaches, since changes in the fundus of the eye have a strong effect on brain activity;
• examination by an otolaryngologist;
• examination by a dentist.

Only after the patient has completed all the necessary procedures, the specialist will be able to determine the exact cause of headaches and, based on the information received, prescribe the correct treatment.

Headache Treatment

The course of treatment chosen by the specialist, first of all, is aimed at repaying the immediate source of headaches. If their cause is a tumor formation, then the course of treatment will be built in the appropriate order.

In cases of a rare but annoying headache, you can save yourself by taking painkillers (ibuprofen, paracetamol, and others) so that you can continue to do your business. With regular attacks, self-medication with analgesics is excluded.

In addition to drug treatment, physiotherapy is also useful, within which massage, swimming pool visits, acupuncture, trips to sanatoriums and spas, as well as other types of physiotherapy are prescribed.

People suffering from headaches should take note of the 5 most important tips that act as preventive measures to prevent attacks.

1. The right balance between periods of sleep and wakefulness will protect the body from fluctuations in blood pressure, overwork and, therefore, from headaches.
2. Following the rules of a healthy diet based on a balanced diet will prevent disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Regular walks in the fresh air will help to relax and dispel thoughts and worries. In addition, fresh air has a beneficial effect on brain function.
4. Active physical activity keeps the work of all body systems in good shape, while lovers of a sedentary lifestyle suffer from various ailments. Activity gives the body lightness and good mood.
5. Rejection bad habits essential not only for those who suffer from headaches. Smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse have a destructive effect on the entire body.

The head can get sick from almost anything, but even such a frequent and already familiar ailment to many requires special attention. With the help of pain, the body informs a person about violations in a particular system. Such pains are a kind of message from the body “Heal me!”. The sooner a patient suffering from regular headaches is examined, the sooner he will be able to get rid of unpleasant pains in the head for a long time.

The human body is a complex system that needs careful care. That is why it is important to take any ailment seriously, even if this ailment is a periodic headache.

One of the most common complaints among patients visiting a doctor is a severe headache. There is not a single person who has not encountered this symptomatology at least once in his life. There are practically no diseases that are not accompanied by unpleasant spasms, pulsating or aching.

Many people are used to ignoring migraine attacks, which can lead to unpleasant consequences, even death. Therefore, with a severe headache, you need to take the appropriate drugs, if your health does not improve, call the SMP team.

Classification of the pathological condition

Severe pain and spasms in the head can be both primary and secondary. In the first situation, the symptoms take the main place in the disease, in the second case they are signs of another pathology.

Primary headache:

1. Bundle spasms.
2. Migraine attacks.
3. Pain, the so-called tension.
4. Spasms unrelated to pathologies of brain structures.

A very strong and sharp headache is formed as a result of exposure to pain receptors. A similar process can be observed in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, depending on the provoking factors.

Secondary severe pains and throbbing in the head:

• vascular diseases;
• received injuries;
• intracranial pathologies, not of vascular origin;
• the use of chemicals or the rejection of them;
• inflammatory process in the body;
• improper metabolism;
• pathologies of cranial, facial structures: cervical, eyes, teeth, skull.

If the patient is interested in how to relieve a severe headache, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe an examination and, based on the results, determine the causes of migraine attacks and recommend appropriate therapy.

Origin of the pathological condition

Before you start taking medication to eliminate a severe throbbing headache, you need to establish the causes of such an attack. That's the only way to choose effective drug that can help get rid of unpleasant, annoying discomfort.

Primary causes of severe headache:

1. Colds of an infectious nature: tonsillitis, influenza, sinusitis, inflammation of the maxillary sinuses. Most often, attacks are observed in the morning hours. Treatment of the underlying pathology will help get rid of spasms.
2. Migraine. The pathological condition occurs suddenly, regardless of age. Most often, pain occurs in the left or right side of the head and is accompanied by additional symptoms: a feeling of nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and an incomprehensible reaction to sharp sounds.
3. Pathologies of a dental nature. Localization of spasms - the upper part of the head (frontal).
4. Organic diseases of the "gray matter", malignant and benign neoplasms.
5. Vascular diseases: atherosclerosis, vegetovascular dystonia, hypertension. As well as pathologies of the spinal column: osteochondrosis of the cervical region.
6. Eye diseases: glaucoma, intraocular pressure. The patient may suddenly lose consciousness. Incorrectly selected glasses for glasses can provoke such a condition.
7. Injuries to the head, spinal column. Even after intensive care, severe pain is often disturbed, the localization of which is different. A person can be prone to migraines for a short time or throughout life. Therefore, even with a small injury, it is necessary to undergo an examination.
8. Stressful situations, mental, physical or mental strain. This is the most common reason why very strong spasms occur, since a person is not able to distribute the load more rationally.
9. Inadequate diet: lack of vitamin B, Fe, as well as oversaturation of the body with alcohol, histamines, caffeine. Lack of sleep, lack of activity, oxygen starvation.
10. Temperature fluctuations, changes in climatic conditions.
11. Body poisoning harmful substances, hangover state.

These are the most common reasons why a person may have throbbing pain, regardless of his age. It is not recommended to take all the medicines in a row, this will not only aggravate the patient's condition, but also distort the clinical picture.

One of the causes of the pathological condition

Diagnostic technique of pathology

If the patient is constantly worried about severe headaches for a long period of time, then you should consult a doctor and establish the cause of this condition.

To determine the origin of migraine attacks, it is prescribed:

• magnetic resonance and computed tomography;
• magnetic resonance angiography;
• pressure control;
• laboratory tests.

With headaches, it is recommended to undergo an additional examination by an ophthalmologist, since with the help of equipment it is possible to detect the presence of disorders in the fundus. This will determine the cause of migraine attacks. In some situations, you will need to consult other doctors of narrow specialties.

When Medical Assistance Is Needed

The strongest migraine attack should not be ignored, but it is better to call the SMP team. The patient needs to seek medical attention if the following symptoms are present:

1. The head hurts very much, despite the fact that the person has not complained about this condition before.
2. If, in addition to severe spasms, there is stiffness of the neck, fever.
3. When all family members complain of unpleasant discomfort, especially in winter, there is a danger of carbon monoxide (gas) poisoning.
4. With severe incomprehensible spasms.
5. If the patient has already been diagnosed with migraine and home treatment has not yielded any results.

Each acute pain in the head should not be left unattended by physicians. Early diagnosis of the disease, including neoplasms localized on one side of the brain, can be completely cured, which cannot be done when the disease has already acquired an advanced form.

It is necessary to urgently call the ambulance brigade in the following situations:

• if the attack occurred suddenly and began to gradually intensify;
• excruciating pulsation appeared after TBI;
• sharp pain with impaired visual function, weakness and numbness of the limbs;
• cramps are accompanied by fever (without symptoms of a cold);
• any headache of unknown origin.

With a sudden increase in pressure, the risk of developing hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke increases. Therefore, in case of poor health, unbearable spasms, it is necessary to call the SMP and drink the antihypertensive drug previously prescribed to the patient by the doctor (“Captopril” under the tongue).

pain syndrome in migraine

Such a pathological condition is the primary form of the disease, which occurs independently, regardless of concomitant ailments. The symptoms of migraine are typical, so diagnosing the pathology is quite simple - by the nature of pulsating spasms.

The development of an attack can provoke the following factors:

1. The use of products with tyramine.
2. Physical stress.
3. Dishormonal pathologies.
4. Alcoholic drinks.
5. Oral hormonal preparations.

Migraine is always intense, the headache is rated by patients as severe or moderate. Most often, one side of the head pulsates, sensitivity to sounds, bright light, smells increases, and nausea appears. The duration of the attack is from 4 hours to 3 days.

What to do if a patient has a migraine attack, the attending physician should say, since simple drugs for headaches in this case will not have any effect, as a result of which the patient's condition may worsen.

Provoking factor

Cerebral sudden bleeding

In case of rupture of blood vessels or injury, a person does not immediately realize that unpleasant discomfort threatens him with a serious danger.

To the complex signs of hemorrhage, doctors include symptoms such as:

• unbearable pain in the head, gradually increasing;
• violation of visual functions before their loss;
• speech change;
• disorientation in space, impaired motor functions;
• sudden vomiting, nausea.

It is dangerous for the patient to think for a long time about how to get rid of unbearable discomfort. To save the health and life of the patient in such a situation, only urgent prompt assistance will help.

Pain syndrome with pressure

A very severe headache that appears suddenly at night or after waking up may indicate a hypertensive crisis. This condition is caused by an increase in the amount of cerebrospinal substance and is provoked by a lying position, poor venous circulation.

The main symptoms are:

1. Reduction in the intensity of spasms during the day.
2. The place of their localization is on the left or right side of the head.
3. Increasing cephalgia.
4. The pain is bursting or pressing in nature.
5. Vomiting, nausea may occur.

High blood pressure is one of the signs of cerebral bleeding, tumors and other diseases that require immediate examination. More informative diagnostic methods are MRI. Based on symptoms and electroencephalography alone, it is difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis.

An increase in blood pressure may be a sign of cerebral bleeding.

Tumors and pain syndrome

In some patients, unbearable headache is observed against the background of the development of malignant neoplasms. In the early stages, as a rule, the disease practically does not make itself felt, only slight dizziness may appear, followed by disorientation and loss of coordination.

To the developing symptoms of cancerous tumors, doctors include:

• sudden headache after waking up, accompanied by vomiting, nausea;
• gradual increase in pathological symptoms;
• sudden weight loss;
• psychosomatic disorders;
• convulsions turning into epileptic seizures.

The neoplasm, gradually increasing in size, contributes to an increase in symptoms, which worsens the general well-being of the patient. It is necessary to treat such pain syndrome taking into account the form and stage of the disease.

Comprehensive complete therapy

How to relieve acute spasms, every person who has experienced such a pathological condition at least once in his life knows. The method of treatment itself can be either medical or conventional, based on the use of physiotherapy.

traditional medicines

Pulsating spasms are most often relieved with conventional medications designed to quickly eliminate pain.

The main drugs prescribed by the doctor:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Ketorolac, Ibuprofen, Russian Aspirin.
2. Antispasmodic drugs eliminate tension, relieve spasms - "No-shpa", "Papaverine".
3. For pain accompanied by high blood pressure - "Analgin".
4. For quick relief, a single dose of Pentalgin or Novigan is shown.

With an intolerable headache, drugs are prescribed against vasoconstriction and swelling of the "gray matter". In order to timely cope with the underlying disease that provokes the development of a pathological condition, it is necessary to tell your doctor about your feelings and symptoms.

Essential Medications

Alternative Therapy Method

You can get rid of a painful condition not only with the help of medications, but also with other methods of treatment.

Alternative methodology includes:

• local and general massage. During the procedure, certain points are affected, which helps to improve blood circulation, relax muscle mass;
• balneological treatment - therapy with water, the right temperature. This includes gymnastics on the water;
• acupuncture - the introduction of needles into vital points for this procedure.

With sudden migraine attacks, drugs are taken to relieve painful spasms to quickly eliminate them. Alternative treatment is used for long-term therapy and prevention of subsequent pathological conditions.

A severe headache comes on suddenly and can be long-lasting or short-term. Depending on its intensity, certain drugs are taken to alleviate the pathological condition. With systematically recurring attacks, a comprehensive examination should be performed.

Recently in cultural center ZIL held a lecture Kirill Skorobogatykh, neurologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of the University Headache Clinic. The doctor spoke about new studies of an old problem of mankind - a headache.

“The head cannot hurt - it’s a bone”

A headache occurs like any other: something irritates the receptor, the signal enters the brain, we feel pain. The large and branched trigeminal nerve is “responsible” for pain in the head, the nerve endings of which are in the sinuses (sinuses), in the eyes, in the ears, in the teeth, in the meningeal membrane (gray matter on the surface of the brain). It is from the receptors in these areas that a pain signal can come - and then we have a “headache”.

In fact, there are no pain receptors in the brain - which is why sometimes operations on the deep layers of the brain are done without anesthesia. For example, if it is important not to touch the center of speech during a surgical intervention, a patient who has undergone a craniotomy is awakened and started talking to him. At the same time, pain from manipulating the brain of a person with an open cranium doesn't feel.

Find the reason

Kirill Skorobogatykh, neurologist

All headaches are divided into primary and secondary.

Primary- when the headache is an independent disease that needs to be treated.

Secondary- consequences of other diseases - head and neck injuries, influenza, otitis media, sinusitis, taking various substances and drugs, climbing to great heights. (At the same time, in itself, pressure fluctuations within 40 mm Hg from a change in weather do not cause a headache in a healthy person).

In total, more than two hundred different headaches are known, most of them are secondary, but they, fortunately, are rare. Of these, only 10% are secondary.

The most dangerous "secondary headaches"
"Thundering" headache- when the pain begins and reaches its maximum intensity in less than a minute. Thunderclap headache is a symptom hemorrhages into the brain.
Headache due to constantly elevated temperature, cancer, HIV, weight loss can mean an exacerbation of the underlying disease or the appearance of some chronic disease, and then you need to deal with it.
If the headache does not stop for many days, progresses without gaps, or suddenly begins after fifty years in a person who did not suffer from it before - such a headache is also secondary. In this case, it is necessary not to "relieve the pain", but to look for its cause.

Headache myths

There are not as many myths created about anything as about a headache. Doctor Skorobogatykh tried to expose them:

"Clogged Vessels" is not an explanation for the causes of regular headaches. In fact, a violation of the blood supply to the brain is a stroke, but a headache with it rarely occurs.

"Stretched Vessels". A "vascular" cause of a headache can indeed be an aneurysm of the vessels - weakening and stretching of the vessel wall or hemorrhage in the brain. All these are urgent situations, they cannot be the cause of a long-lasting headache.

"Increased intracranial pressure"- also not the cause of the headache. An increase in intracranial pressure may be due to a tumor or hemorrhage. But with a tumor, there will be neurological symptoms - numbness, convulsions, pain, the head hurts more lying down than standing up.

As a very rare option, an increase in intracranial pressure occurs from an excess of cerebrospinal fluid - cerebrospinal fluid. It happens with a lot of weight, but then the head hurts constantly, in the prone position more than in the standing position.

Osteochondrosis- degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs. Does not cause headaches.

Very rare, less than 1% of cases cervicogenic headache(when the head hurts due to a disease of the neck joints) - pain occurs on palpation in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthese neck joints, or when the head is turned. With a migraine, neck tension is a consequence, not a cause.

Vegetovascular dystonia (VVD), neurocirculatory dystonia (NCD) and dyscirculatory encephalopathy (DEP) does not exist in the international classification of diseases. These are prefabricated diagnoses, made up of symptoms of various diseases, which need to be dealt with specifically and separately.

Modern understanding of migraine

According to surveys, 20% of the working-age population suffers from migraine in Russia. According to the WHO, migraine is the sixth leading cause of disability. Migraine is an “expensive disease” because it is with a person all his life.

Today, the causes of migraine are seen in the excessive activation of brain receptors, leading to overexcitation of the center of the trigeminal nerve.

Thus, migraine is a disease of the brain itself, which occurs due to its physiological characteristics. Migraine can be inherited - it is transmitted through the female line in 60% of cases.

Migraine is not associated with an increase or decrease in blood pressure. An increase in pressure may be the result of a migraine attack, as it is stress for the body.

Today it is believed that the specific transmitter of migraine pain is the CGRP protein, its concentration in the trigeminal nerve system increases during migraine attacks.

Modern development of specific migraine prevention drugs (and until now migraine is treated only symptomatically - relieving symptoms) is associated precisely with binding or blocking CGRP.

Migraine pain is intense, throbbing, asymmetric (half of the head hurts on the right or left), often with nausea, aggravated by light or sound, with pronounced attacks.

9 historical facts about migraine treatment
10,000 years ago, migraine was treated with trepanation so that "evil spirits" came out of the head.
The ancient Egyptians tied a clay crocodile to the head, in the mouth of which they put oat grains.
The ancient Greeks treated migraines with bloodletting.
Galen in 200 AD proposed for headaches similar to the description of migraine, the term "hemicrania" (half a head), which doctors still use today.
Avicenna suggested placing the patient in a quiet and dark place.
Thomas Willis suggested in the 17th century that migraine is caused by "vasodilation of the head".
In 1918, migraines began to be treated with ergotamine, a substance found in ergot. Ergotamine preparations are still used - in the form of tablets and sprays, and not in the form of a decoction of grass, it is impossible to accurately determine the amount of the active substance in which it is impossible at home.
In the 1950s, Harold Wolf suggested that migraines begin because blood flow causes "stretching of the vessels in the lining of the brain."

Migraine has several phases:

— prodrome- when in a few hours or days a person feels an unusual condition and symptoms by which he can predict an impending attack (he is suddenly drawn to sweets, or he yawns after sleeping),

- "aura"- occurs about an hour before the attack: flashes in the eyes, auditory hallucinations, obsessive odors. Numbness of the hands, face, “Alice in Wonderland syndrome” (feeling of a change in body size), polynopsia (when looking at the eyes, the outlines of objects remain). If the "aura" lasts more than an hour, this is a reason to exclude other neurological diagnoses.

The aura of migraine is different in that this stage is dynamic - points "creep" across the field of view, numbness can "move" along the arms - this reflects the movement of an electrical signal in the cerebral cortex. (With an attack of epilepsy or a stroke, there are similar phenomena, but they are static - since the damage is local);

- the attack itself. The frequency of migraine attacks in different patients may vary. There are people who regularly suffer from multi-day seizures. There are patients with very rare and mild migraine attacks - even once every six months.

• postdrome- when, after the headache has stopped, a person feels overwhelmed, experiencing weakness, drowsiness for up to two days.

migraine provocateurs
- stress,
- hunger (missed meal),
- lack or excess sleep (change in sleep patterns on weekends),
- the beginning of the cycle in women (plus or minus two days. In the second or third trimester of pregnancy, due to high estrogen and progesterone, seizures often weaken or disappear),
- dehydration
- some products - aged cheeses, canned food, spicy, red wine - as part of an individual reaction. Chocolate used to be considered a migraine provocateur, now it is considered a sign of the onset of an attack - the patient may be drawn to sweets before the onset of an attack.
The effectiveness of alcohol in migraine has not been studied. It is believed to relieve symptoms, but does not act on the headache itself, but as an anti-anxiety agent, since anxiety-depressive disorders are common in patients with migraine.

Can't be cured, can be controlled

Unfortunately, most domestic doctors do not know how to treat migraine. As soon as you complain to the doctor about a migraine headache, they will send you endlessly for tests, recommend procedures and massages.

In fact, according to modern protocols for providing assistance with migraine, MRI, ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck, an encephalogram and tests for diagnosing migraine are NOT NEEDED.

The diagnosis is made by questioning a neurologist, who excludes secondary headaches and recognizes migraine by a characteristic set of symptoms.

Migraine is now considered an incurable disease. Symptomatic treatment. But a migraine can spontaneously go away on its own.

The migraine is well controlled. An attack can be prevented by stopping it in time - at the first alarming signs, take the full dose of painkiller recommended by the doctor. With late admission, it will not be possible to completely prevent an attack.

- antiemetics - drugs that relieve nausea, which a neurologist will prescribe if your migraine attacks are accompanied by such a symptom;

- ergotamines (ergot extract) or triptans (stimulators of serotanin receptors), both groups of drugs are selected and prescribed by a doctor; triptans are available as a nasal spray, have a mild vasoconstrictive effect, and are used with caution after a heart attack or stroke).

New migraine drug on the way

Unfortunately, often in the treatment of migraine, the situation is aggravated by a headache from medications. Taking ibuprofen or any other simple pain reliever more than 15 days a month for three months or more causes a headache. Triptans should not be taken for more than 10 days a month.

A magnetic electrical stimulator is currently being tested, the purpose of which, according to the researchers, is to reduce pain during migraine attacks.

During 2018, a CGRP protein blocker should appear in the West and, possibly, the first specific preventive drug for migraine will be obtained, blocking the very mechanism of transmission of migraine pain.

After the official release in the US and Europe, the drug must be approved by the Ministry of Health for use in Russia. The timing of the inclusion of the drug in the list of approved for official use in our country is still unknown.

Meanwhile, most of the migraine drugs currently prescribed in Russia (Mexidol) have placebo-level efficacy.

Migraine Prevention

It is prescribed when the migraine is more than five days a month or the attacks are very severe. Daily for six to twelve months taking drugs according to the individual selection of a doctor. An individual patient kit for migraine prevention may include antidepressants, drugs that lower blood pressure, two of the antiepileptic drugs currently available, Botox. Such a set is strictly individual and is selected for the patient by a neurologist. You can try to treat migraine without pills - eliminate provocateurs, excess weight, smoking, snoring, accustom yourself to physical activity.

Kirill Skorobogatykh- a neurologist, a specialist in headache.
More than 12 years of experience working with patients suffering from headache, back pain. Completed an internship at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, USA. Member of the International Society for the Study of Headache (IHS), the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the Russian Society for the Study of Headache. Participates as an expert in international and Russian clinical studies on the problem of headache.

Infographics: Oleg Sdvizhkov

Headache is familiar to most modern people. Many consider themselves prone to frequent headaches, but do not really think about why the head often hurts and about what possible problems in the body, this may indicate. The site "Beautiful and Successful" will tell about the most common causes of a headache.

What are the causes of headaches that are not associated with specific diseases?

Headache is not a separate disease, but only a symptom characteristic of a huge number of diseases!

However, physicians distinguish between so-called "primary" and "secondary" headaches.

Primary is called a headache, which is the main and main symptom of any problems in the body - this is just the case when a common person says, "Oh, my head hurts again!" Highly common problem, especially typical for women, which is just a variant of the “primary” headache - (the site has already written about them).

If your head hurts frequently, it could be a tension headache. This is not a disease as such - rather, the body's reaction to adverse conditions.

In this case, the sensation of pain is distributed over the entire head and forehead, sometimes with a focus on the temples - such pain is characterized as a "compressing helmet". Such a headache can continue for quite a long time, but it is easily removed when taking analgin, citramon and other painkillers, it can also pass without medicines, if you remove the adverse factors that caused it.

What causes tension headaches?

• Staying in a stuffy room, prolonged inhalation of pungent odors (starting with chemical dyes and ending with overly fragrant bouquets or perfume in an unventilated room).
• Staying in the heat, in the sun.
• Prolonged exposure to loud sounds, music (for example, after a concert, etc.).
• Nervous tension, stress.
• Depression (with prolonged depressive states, people complain that for some reason their head often hurts).
• Physical activity (usually unusual or excessive for a given person).
• Prolonged uncomfortable position of the body, neck (even an incorrect posture during sedentary work can lead to the fact that the head hurts very often, and why this happens, a person cannot understand).
• Lack of sleep, failure of the usual mode of sleep and wakefulness.
• Insufficient fluid intake and sometimes malnutrition.

If you notice that you are prone to tension headaches, try to minimize the factors that lead to such pains, as well as balance your lifestyle - spend more time in the fresh air and ventilate the room, drink water in sufficient quantities, and normalize sleep patterns.

Headaches can also sometimes be caused by caffeinated foods: chocolate, coffee, strong tea.

For some women, headaches are accompanied by PMS - this is unlikely to indicate any health problems, but it is better to consult a gynecologist.

When is a headache a symptom of any disease?

Headaches accompany the course of completely different diseases, so you should be alert in any case if your head often hurts, and why is unclear! These are the so-called "secondary" headaches - most likely, you can relieve the pain itself with painkillers, but it is better to deal with the root cause.

Associated symptoms and the nature of the pain can serve as a hint for determining a possible disease. For example:

• Pain in the region of the bridge of the nose, aggravated by bending, sudden movements, accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the nose, sometimes nasal congestion - is characteristic of sinusitis, sinusitis. See an ENT doctor.
• Often the head hurts in the back of the head - the variant of cervical osteochondrosis is not excluded. Osteochondrosis is also noticed by pain in the back, shoulder body, and the neck itself.
• Headaches can be explained by an increase or decrease in blood pressure (hypertensive / hypotensive crisis). With increased pressure, a person's cheeks turn red, sweating increases. When lowered, on the contrary, pallor is noticeable, and the palms and fingers feel cool to the touch.
• To understand why the head hurts very often without any additional symptoms, contact a neurologist. There are a lot of diagnoses that manifest themselves in this way - for example, vegetovascular dystonia, various neuralgias, etc.

However, in no case should you self-diagnose and self-medicate - be sure to contact your doctor with your assumptions!

When should you see a doctor as soon as possible if you have a headache?

In some cases, a sudden headache is an SOS signal from the body, which in no case should be neglected! Since the onset of many diseases looks quite similar, you need to remember the warning signs for which it is better to seek qualified medical help:

• Nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite plus headache. This condition happens with food poisoning, sun (heat) stroke, but many infectious diseases also begin in the same way! It is better to call a doctor in time and understand the diagnosis!
• Diarrhea, abdominal pain. Most likely, this indicates the onset of an infectious disease.
• Dizziness, loss of consciousness or fainting (darkness in the eyes, feeling of lack of air, etc.).
• Temperature rise.
• Inability to relieve a headache with standard painkillers.
• Light and sound fear, numbness of the neck, impaired perception, consciousness - these are the symptoms of meningitis! Call an ambulance immediately!

You should always be on your guard and see a doctor if your head hurts infrequently at all, but suddenly a strong and / or headache that is not characteristic of you feels like it starts!

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