A headache is a very common condition. Almost all of us get a headache at some point in our life. The headache can be throbbing, continuous, very uncomfortable and in some cases very severe that it impeded from getting any work done.
Headache is described based on its severity, duration and intensity. Most headaches that people get in their day-to-day life are normal but some headaches are accompanied by some other symptoms like rash, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, slurred speech, fever more than 38 degrees, paralysis, vision loss or the description of headache as one of the worst headaches you have ever had, can indicate an underlying serious problem for which medical attention is immediately needed.
Types of Headache
Headaches can be classified into mainly two types; primary and secondary. Primary headaches are used to describe those that are not triggered by something like illness or some other cause. They can be again divided in to episodic which appears often or once in a while and lasts for minutes to hours and chronic headache which lasts for most days in a month and management plan is necessary.
Tension Headache
This is describing as having a dull painful sensation all over head; this is not a throbbing sort of pain. The surrounding area like the neck, forehead, scalp or shoulder muscles can be painful or tender. Tension headache can come in anyone and is mainly triggered by stress. This can be treated with over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen that can be obtained from a Compound Chemist.
If this headache takes on a chronic course you would have to contact your doctor for pain management.
Cluster Headache
These are characterized by having severe burning sensation and cluster headache can be really painful. It occurs usually behind one eye or it can even involve both the eyes and one side of the face. It can be accompanied with swelling, redness, flushing and sweating and in some cases congestion of the nose and tearing of the eyes can also be seen.
The headache can occur in series and each headache can last from between 15 minutes to 3 hours and a person can experience one to four episodes of headache per day. The symptoms can occur for many times in a month and it has been seen this is much more common in males and mostly occurs during spring and autumn. Although the cause is unknown doctors may recommend oxygen therapy, sumatriptan and a local anaesthetic, once the diagnosis has been made the doctor may come up with the prevention plan.
Migraine
This is a very common type of headache and is described as a pulsing headache that usually affects one side of the head. This pain can last from hours to days, along with the headache individuals suffering from migraine may complain of nausea or vomiting and are sensitive to light and sound. It often gets better with rest and over the counter pain killers may also be taken to help with the pain.
