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Migraine Info •
What is a Headache? •
How Do I Cope with Daily Migraines? •
Migraine and tension headache relief using Neurofeedback •
Neurofeedback for Migraine Headaches •
What are Migraines? •
What are most common remedies for Migraines? •
How are headaches classified? •
What are secondary headaches? •
What causes tension headaches? •
What causes cluster headaches?
Neurofeedback: Headaches
What is a headache?
A Headache is defined as a pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain in the body and has many causes.
How are headaches classified?
Headaches have numerous causes, and in 2007 the International Headache Society agreed upon an updated classification system for headache. Because so many people suffer from headaches and because treatment sometimes is difficult, it is hoped that the new classification system will allow health care practitioners come to a specific diagnosis as to the type of headache and to provide better and more effective treatment.
| There are three major categories of headaches: |
| 1. | primary headaches |
| 2. | secondary headaches, and |
| 3. | cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches |
What are primary headaches?
Primary headaches include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as a variety of other less common types of headache.
| * | Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache. Up to 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches occur more commonly among women than men. |
| * | Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. An estimated 28 million people in the United States (about 12% of the population) will experience a migraine headache. 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 are affected. It is estimated that 6% of men and up to 18% of women will experience a migraine headache in their lifetime. |
| * | Cluster headaches are a rare type of primary headache affecting 0.1% of the population (1 in a 1,000 people). It more commonly affects men in their late 20s though women and children can also suffer these types of headache. |
Primary headaches can affect the quality of life. Some people have occasional headaches that resolve quickly while others are debilitated. While these headaches are not life-threatening, they may be associated with symptoms that can mimic strokes or intracerebral bleeding.
What are secondary headaches?
Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural problem in the head or neck. There are numerous causes of this type of headache ranging from bleeding in the brain, tumor, or meningitis and encephalitis.
What are cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches?
Neuralgia means nerve pain (neur= nerve + algia=pain). Cranial neuralgia describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and upper neck become inflamed and become the source of the pain in the head. Facial pain and a variety of other causes for headache are included in this category.
What causes tension headaches?
While tension headaches are the most frequently occurring type of headache, their cause is not known. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When the muscles covering the skull are stressed, they may spasm and cause pain. Common sites include the base of the skull where the trapezius muscles of the neck inserts, the temple where muscles that move the jaw are located, and the forehead.
There is little research to confirm the exact cause of tension headaches. Tension headaches occur because of physical or emotional stress placed on the body. These stressors can cause the muscles surrounding the skull to clench the teeth and go into spasm. Physical stressors include difficult and prolonged manual labor, or sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time concentrating. Emotional stress may also cause tension headaches by causing the muscles surrounding the skull to contract.
What are the symptoms of tension headaches?
| The pain symptoms of a tension headache are: |
| * | The pain begins in the back of the head and upper neck and is described as a band-like tightness or pressure. |
| * | Often is described as pressure encircling the head with the most intense pressure over the eyebrows. |
| * | The pain usually is mild (not disabling) and bilateral (affecting both sides of the head). |
| * | The pain is not associated with an aura, nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. |
| * | The pain occurs sporadically (infrequently and without a pattern) but can occur frequently and even daily in some people. |
| * | The pain allows most people to function normally, despite the headache. |
What causes cluster headaches?
The cause of cluster headaches is uncertain. It may be that certain parts of the brain begin to malfunction for an unknown reason. The hypothalamus, an area located at the base of the brain is responsible for the body's biologic clock and may be the part of the brain that is the source for the headaches. When brain scans are performed on patients who are in the midst of a cluster headache, there is abnormal activity in the hypothalamus.
| Cluster headaches also: |
| * | tend to run in families and this suggests that there may be a genetic role; |
| * | may be triggered by changes in sleep patterns; |
| * | may be triggered by medications (for example, nitroglycerin, used for heart disease). |
If an individual is in a susceptible period for cluster headache, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and some foods (for example, chocolate) also can be potential causes for headache.
What are the symptoms of cluster headaches?
Cluster headaches are headaches that come in groups (clusters) lasting weeks or months, separated by pain-free periods of months or years.
| * | During the period in which the cluster headaches occur, pain typically occurs once or twice daily, but some patients may experience pain more than twice daily. |
| * | Each episode of pain lasts from 30 to 90 minutes. |
| * | Attacks tend to occur at about the same time every day and often awaken the patient at night from a sound sleep. |
| * | The pain typically is excruciating and located around or behind one eye. |
| * | Some patients describe the pain as feeling like a hot poker in the eye. The affected eye may become red, inflamed, and watery. |
| * | The nose on the affected side may become congested and runny. |
Unlike patients with migraine headaches, patients with cluster headaches tend to be restless. They often pace the floor, bang their heads against a wall, and can be driven to desperate measures. Cluster headaches are much more common in men than women.
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