Headaches remain one of the most common medical complaints received by doctors. Headaches can be a symptom of an underlying problem such as stress or emotional distress, migraines, high blood pressure, anxiety, or depression. While a minor headache is no cause for concern, more severe headaches can be debilitating to the patient by disrupting their daily activities such as sleep, work, and socialising.
Types of headaches
Tension headaches
These headaches usually begin slowly and gradually in the middle of the day. A person with a tension headache tends to feel like there is a tight band on their head and experiences a constant, dull ache on both sides of the head. There may also be pain that comes from or starts from the neck area. Tension headaches can either occur episodically or can become chronic. Episodic attacks may last anything between a few hours to several days, while chronic headaches can occur for 15 or more days a month for a period of at least three months.
Migraines
This headache is categorised by a pulsating, throbbing pain usually only on one side of the head. Symptoms include blurred vision, light-headedness, nausea, vomiting and sensory disturbances such as flashes of light, blind spots and a tingling sensation in the face or hand.
Cluster headaches
Cluster headaches are characterised by severe one-sided pain and a sharp or burning sensation usually located in or around one eye. The affected eye may become red, swollen, droopy, and the nasal passages around the affected area may become blocked and runny. Generally, cluster headaches last between 15 minutes and 3 hours. They occur suddenly once per day and up to eight times. The duration of the headache is anything between a few weeks to a few months. In between cluster phases, there may be no headache symptoms, and this headache-free interval can last from months to years.
Sinus headaches
These headaches may feel like an infection in the sinuses. It is often accompanied by pressure around the eyes, cheeks and forehead. Many people mistake sinus headaches for tension or migraine headaches- some patients are even misdiagnosed. Common symptoms of a sinus headache include pain, pressure, and fullness in your cheeks, brow or forehead, pain when bending down or lying down, a stuffy nose, fatigue and pain in the upper teeth.
Treatment options
Conventional treatments used at our Center include Medications, Physical Therapy and cervical epidural steroid injections and radiofrequency nerve ablation.