A headache is a very common condition. It causes discomfort and pain in the head, scalp or neck. It is medically defined as a pain that arises from the head or upper neck of the body. The pain originates from the tissue that surrounds the skull or the brain. It may be isolated on one side of the head or both sides. It may be isolated to a certain location and radiates from one point to another. It may appear as a sharp pain, a dull ache or a throbbing sensation. I may develop suddenly or gradually which can last from less than an hour to several days.
Types of headaches
Causes of headaches
The most likely cause of a headache is the contraction of muscles that cover the skull. When the muscles are stressed, they become inflamed and cause pain. Other causes of a headache include:
Signs and symptoms of headache
Tension headache:
Cluster headache:
Migraine headache:
Headache diagnosis
A simple headache can sometimes be a symptom of a disease or a medical condition. To know the underlying cause, your doctor may do the following:
Headache treatment
The type of treatment that you will receive depends upon the type of a headache that you get. If a headache is due to illnesses, then the headache will likely to go away once the underlying condition is treated. Most headache can be successfully treated with an over-the-counter medication such as: