My Aching Head

How you treat your headache
depends on where the pain is coming from.

Tension

How it feels: A steady ache, pressure or
tightness in a band around the head or neck. Pain on both sides.

Who gets it: Roughly 78 percent of adults
have a tension-type headache at some point. Most headaches are
tension-type.

Causes: Tense muscles in the shoulders,
neck, scalp and jaw; anxiety or depression; biochemical fluctuations in
the brain; overuse of pain medications.

Treatment: For daily headaches, a doctor
can prescribe tricyclic antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs or
beta-blockers to prevent attacks. Intermittent headaches respond to
over-the-counter pain relievers and lifestyle adjustments. "You have to
listen to your body and not ignore the signals, what is setting off
this headache," said Dr. Daniel Hurley, a physiatrist.

Migraine 

How it feels: Throbbing pain, usually on
one side of the head, often with sensitivity to light and sound. Some
people vomit. About 30 percent have an aura, a set of neurological
symptoms including visual disturbances.

Who gets it: About 13 percent of Americans
suffer migraines. Afflicts three times more women than men.

Causes: Imbalances in brain chemicals
affecting nerves in the brain; blood vessels that dilate and become
inflamed.

Treatment: Avoid triggers like certain
foods, stress or odors. Prescription triptans can reverse a migraine if
taken early. Other drugs include beta-blockers, calcium-channel
blockers, antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs. Doctors are
experimenting with Botox. "It is effective in some people with daily
headaches, but the studies have not been 100 percent," said headache
specialist Dr. Seymour Diamond.

Sinus 

How it feels: Dull pain over the forehead
or face, often on both sides.

Who gets it: Fewer than you'd think. "A lot
of things are called sinus headaches that are not sinus headaches,"
said Dr. Seymour Diamond. "It usually is migraine or tension headache."

Causes: Pressure changes caused by a sinus
infection; a narrowed or blocked sinus opening.

Treatment: Antibiotics can clear a sinus
infection. Surgery can open a blocked sinus.

Cluster 

How it feels: Intense, stabbing pain
usually behind one eye, lasting one to four hours and recurring in a
cyclical pattern. It may involve tearing of the eye and a stuffy nose.

Who gets it: About 90 percent of sufferers
are male.

Causes: May be related to abnormal levels
of hormones released by the hypothalamus; smoking and alcohol can
trigger an attack.

Treatment: Over-the-counter, oral
painkillers take too long to work. Oxygen therapy and drugs used for
migraines, including triptans, can help.

Cervicogenic 

How it feels: Mimics a migraine or tension
headache, often with pain around the eyes or face.

Who gets it: People with neck or shoulder
tension, whiplash or other injuries, or degenerative disease. "I think
it's underreported," said Dr. Daniel Hurleys.

Causes: Chronic tension; injury; disc
disease; arthritis or spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine that
presses on nerves.

Treatment: Anti-inflammatory injections,
muscle relaxants and painkillers. A doctor may also recommend physical
therapy or chiropractic manipulation. Surgery can be an option.

Organic

How it feels: The "worst" headache you've
ever had; headache pattern that is different than normal; headache
associated with neurological symptoms like loss of consciousness or
confusion.

Who gets it: These headaches are less
common than primary headaches.

Causes: Tumors, infection, high blood
pressure, blood clots, aneurysm, diseases of the brain, eye, ear or
nose.

Treatment: A physician will treat the
underlying condition causing headache symptoms.

Sources: Dr. Seymour Diamond is founder of the
Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago and executive chairman of the
National Headache Foundation. Dr. Daniel Hurley is a specialist in
physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Chicago Institute of
Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch.

Susan Stevens can be reached at sstevens@dailyherald.com.

Source: Daily Herald;
Arlington Heights, Ill. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning.
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