One of the most common inflictions of pain known to man is of course the headache, and although some people may interpret back and neck pain as a headache, it is important to note that these are two completely different afflictions. Most headaches are considered to be benign in nature and can be caused by a number of possibilities including tension, dehydration, low blood sugar, and sinusitis and eye strain. While the causes of most headaches cannot be immediately determined, a person who undergoes a head injury will most likely have them and will know that the head injury caused the pain.
There are basically two types of headaches which are classified as complicated or uncomplicated headaches. When it comes to an uncomplicated headache, the pain is easily remedied through the use of pain killers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. The classification of the complicated headache can include things like a migraine which generally takes a specialised treatment to remedy.
Most headaches and migraines can be attributed to what is commonly referred to as a trigger. A trigger is just what it sounds like and can be something like a food or beverage or even an activity which if performed will result in a headache. A headache can occur in a number of places around the head and can be from both the nerves as well as the fluid that surrounds the brain. It is for this reason that one headache can occur in one area of the head while another headache can happen elsewhere.
The headache can be broken down into five types, which includes vascular, cervicogenic, inflammatory, traction or even muscle tension. Out of these five types of headache, the most common type is the vascular which is then closely followed by the muscle tension headache.
The vascular headache can include pain on both sides of the head as well as stomach related symptoms. This type of headache is more common in the female gender than in the male and can also include disturbed vision and intolerance to light.
The muscle tension headache occurs when there is tension in the muscles that attach to the head and can even include the neck and back. The cervicogenic headache is attributed to a disorder of the neck which results in the pinching of the nerves in the spinal cord usually between the C1 and the C3 vertebrae. As far as the traction and inflammatory headache types, these are very similar and are results of other injuries, infections and inflictions. These can include things like a stroke, sinus infection or even a head trauma.
In most cases, the most common form of treatment for almost any type of headache is taking drugs, which can be habit-forming. Also once taken for a period of time the body becomes immune to their effect with the result that stronger drugs have to be taken to combat the head pain
