Symptoms for Headaches

Symptoms for headaches are important in prescribing treatment as incorrect interpretation may lead to the wrong treatment being given and even moreso, the headaches may persist or get worse.

Spyder Headache Rack

Spyder Headache Rack

Because not all headaches are alike, the main challenge to affording relief from the various forms is to ascertain which are the "urgent" headaches (urgent being seen as life-threatening) from others that may be less urgent and less distressing. Headaches are generally not a serious health threat, but when they prolong and remain untreated, they can be a threat to your well-being. Chronic sufferers, especially, are advised to keep a diary of their headaches and always seek medical opinion.

The intensity, location, frequency and duration of the pain caused by headache are symptoms for headaches and are all factors that help the doctors in putting a finger to the problem. So next time your doctor asks you "where does it hurt?" don't frown at him - he knows what he or she is doing. You don't want to be one of those headache sufferers that do not receive a specific headache diagnosis when they visit their physician and are prescribed general treatment only for the headache to return again in the near future.

Headaches are generally classified as primary headaches, where the headache itself is the disorder, and secondary headaches, where the headache is actually a symptom of an underlying condition like meningitis, a stroke, a brain tumor or an infection.

Symptoms for Tension Headaches
Pain tends to be on both sides of the head but often starts at the back of your head. They are normally mild or moderate, dull or squeezing and characterised by a steady ache or pressure, like a band slowly tightening around your head. Usually your shoulders, neck or jaws feel tight and sore. Routine physical activity does not make them worse but can actually make it better.

Symptoms for Migraine Headaches
Usually charactised by two, and not all, of the following: nausea, vomiting and/or sensitivity to light and sound, or an aura, which involves visual disturbances that usually precede or accompany a headache. They tend to begin on one side of your head with the pain eventually spreading to both sides. Routine physical activity or movement can actually make it worse.

Symptoms for Cluster Headaches
Pain is normally one of the symptoms for headaches and is usually felt in or around one eye and is mostly accompanied by redness or tearing of the eye, drooping of the lid and sometimes nasal stuffiness.

Symptoms for Sinus Headaches
Pain tends to be at the front of your head and face and can get worse when you bend forward. They are usually felt when you wake up in the morning. Postnatal drip, sore throat and nasal discharge are common symptoms for sinus headaches.

Secondary Headache Symptoms
Symptoms for headaches such as tingling or numbness may occur prior to the onset of a headache but the distinguishing factor is weakness and difficulty moving one side of the body as well as double vision, especially if you go from having no head pain at all to suddenly having very severe pain. Sometimes it may be the manifesation of a stroke. If accompanied by fever or a stiff neck, it may point to an infection that requires medical attention.

The above information thankfully comes from theheadacheinfosite.com at the following link.