Symptoms

CHRONIC DAILY HEADACHE (CDH)

Chronic Daily Headache is defined as experiencing fifteen or more days with a headache per month. The treatments for CDH are vast and varied. Medicinal and non-medicinal methods exist to help patients cope with chronic headache, because chronic headaches cannot be cured.   Whether pharmacological or alternative, treatment plans are created on an individual basis.

Suggested treatments for Chronic Daily Headaches include:

• • Medication
  • Physical therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Relaxation exercises
  • Biofeedback
  • Dietary changes
  • Psychotherapy

TENSION HEADACHE

Tension headache pain can radiate from the lower back of the head, the neck, eyes, or other muscle groups in the body.   Tension headache pain is often described as mild to moderate constant bilateral pressure. Episodic tension headaches are defined headaches occurring fewer than 15 days a month.  Chronic tension headaches occur 15 days or more a month for at least 6 months.  A typical tension headache lasts 4 to 6 hour but some can last from minutes to days, months or even years.

The causes of a Tension Headache are:

• • Stress
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Uncomfortable position
  • Bad posture
  • Hunger
  • Eyestrain
  • Muscle tension around the head

There is a theory that the pain may be caused by a malfunctioning pain filter which is located in the brain stem. The view is that the brain misinterprets the information, for example, from the temporal muscle and interprets this signal as pain.

MIGRAINES

Migraines are characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headaches often in association with a number of autonomic nervous system symptoms. Migraines are unilateral, pulsating and last from 2 to 72 hours.

Other symptoms include:

• • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Sensitivity to sound
  • Pain is aggravated by physical activity
  • An aura