How to Get to the Root of Your Frequent Headaches

Every day, 15.8% of the population around the globe struggles with the pain and discomfort of a headache. About 52% suffer from non-migraine headaches on occasion, and 14% have migraines, which are headaches with other symptoms, such as nausea and light sensitivity.

Even if you don’t get migraines, if you’ve suffered a headache for at least 15 days out of a month for at least three months, you have chronic headaches. Because there are more than 200 types of headache disorders, trying to figure out which one you have and how to treat it may, well, give you a headache. 

At Advanced Medical Care in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, our neurology specialists can get to the root of your chronic headaches. We may conduct nerve studies, order MRI or CT scans, or use other diagnostic tools to determine why you get headaches and how best to treat them.

We’re dedicated to providing excellent care, including patient education, and we’re using this blog to offer the following insights regarding headache pain.

Does your head hurt on both sides?

If your head frequently throbs and aches on both sides, you may have chronic tension headaches. Unlike migraines, these headaches don’t have other symptoms.

Instead of stabbing or pulsing pain, the pain of a bilateral tension headache tends to feel like pressure. You may be able to prevent tension headaches with lifestyle changes, including stress management and medications.

When you’re in the midst of headache pain, you may be able to control it with over-the-counter medications. However, if you have chronic tension headaches, you should come for an evaluation to rule out other sources of pain, including tumors.

Do you have shooting or stabbing facial pains?

Shooting pain or stabbing sensations around your eyes or on other areas of your face may be caused by neuralgia. This is a nerve that’s pinched or irritated and thus sends out continual pain signals.

If your headaches are caused by neuralgia, you may have suffered an injury to your neck or have arthritis or another condition that inflames your nerves. Even tight neck and shoulder muscles can create frequent headaches with shooting pains.

We may use a nerve block to diagnose neuralgia. If the nerve block works, we know that a pinched or irritated nerve is at the root of your facial pain. The nerve block works as both diagnosis and treatment in such cases.

As treatment for a persistent case, we may recommend other medications. Botox® injections, for instance, are highly effective at turning off aberrant nerve signals. You may also benefit from steroid injections.

Do you have constant pressure in your head?

Benign intracranial hypertension is a result of fluid buildup in your skull. In addition to frequent headaches, you may also develop vision-related symptoms, such as blind spots and loss of your peripheral vision. You might experience tinnitus, or ear ringing as well.

Treatment may include losing weight, as this type of headache occurs most frequently in obese women and men. You may need to lose about 5%-10% of your body weight to ease the pressure.

In addition, we may prescribe a medication called acetazolamide, which helps your body produce less intracranial fluid. Our team may refer you to an ophthalmologist if your headaches affect your vision.

Pressure headaches can also be caused by tumors. Always consult a doctor to diagnose and treat chronic headaches.

Do you have other symptoms with your headaches?

Migraine is a type of chronic headache marked by severe pain and a range of other symptoms as well. If you have migraines, you may also experience:

• Vision problems
• Seeing auras around objects
• Hypersensitivity to light
• Hypersensitivity to smells and sounds
• Nausea and vomiting

Migraines can last for days on end, without relief. You may be able to prevent migraines or reduce their severity with Botox injections.

Resolution starts with diagnosis

Painkillers may help with your frequent headaches, but they can also stop working effectively and even worsen your headache when used for long periods. If you have chronic headaches, the first step is to determine why. 

Our neurologists get to the root of your headache pain with a thorough evaluation and diagnosis. Contact Advanced Medical Care today by calling the office that’s most convenient to you or booking an appointment online.