Which doctor should I contact for headaches? This question is often asked by those who regularly suffer from discomfort in the frontal, parietal, temporal or cervical part of the head. To get rid of discomfort, most people take painkillers. But, as a rule, they give only a temporary effect. Therefore, with persistent pain, you should definitely consult a doctor. So which doctor should I contact for headaches? We will talk about this in this article. We will also talk about the possible causes of discomfort, diagnosis and treatment.
General information
Headache is the most common symptom that occurs not only in adults but also in children. This medical term includes almost all types of discomfort and pain localized in the head area. However, in domestic conditions it is increasingly used to refer to discomfort in the skull.
Types of pain
Before telling you which doctor to see for headaches, you should tell what typessuch unpleasant sensations exist. Currently, there are 4 main types. Consider them in more detail:
- Muscular tension resulting from prolonged tension or compression of the soft tissues of the head.
- Vascular pain, which is characterized by a noticeable pulsation. They occur when there is a discrepancy between the resistance of the vascular walls and an increase in the pulse volume of blood.
- Neuralgic pains characterized by sharp and cutting sensations. With head neuralgia, the so-called trigger zones are formed. After pressing on them, a noticeable pain occurs, which can spread to neighboring or distant areas.
- Liquorodynamic pain. It is divided into 2 types, each of which is directly related to the tension of the choroid. Pain with intracranial pressure can be different. With increased - it is bursting, depends on the position of the body and increases with straining and coughing. When lowered, the pain intensifies when the patient is standing and decreases when the head is tilted.
Other types
In addition to the mentioned types of headaches, specialists also distinguish 2 additional ones. These include:
- Mixed pain, that is, a combination of some of the main types.
- Psychalgia or hypochondriacal, central pain, in which it is not possible to objectify all of the above factors.
Headaches: diseases-causes
Any discomfort in the skull has its own reasons for development. To improve your conditionyou should find out why such discomfort occurs. Doing it yourself is quite problematic. Therefore, we recommend that you immediately consult a doctor. If you do not have such an opportunity, then we recommend that you monitor your condition and try to identify the cause yourself.
Muscle tension
This is the most common form of headache. It comes on gradually and usually goes away within a few hours or days. With strong emotional stress, discomfort in the skull may occur suddenly.
Such pain is bilateral. Usually it is localized in both frontal lobes or fronto-occipital region. Sometimes the discomfort takes on a dull compressive character and spreads throughout the skull. The patient may experience discomfort when wearing a headdress, combing hair, and also at night.
The reasons for this condition can be: an uncomfortable posture, a combination of the muscle-tonic factor and emotional chronic stress, incorrect posture, prolonged and frequent stressful situations that are associated with anxiety, anxiety and depression, osteochondrosis.
Tumor
Neoplasms can also cause headaches. They are usually progressive in nature. Unpleasant sensations can be pulsating, non-pulsating, deep, dull and splitting. In this case, consultation with a neurosurgeon is required.
Most often, pain in tumors is provoked by a change in the position of the head and physical activity. Due to discomfort in the skullmany people wake up even at night. They often vomit violently and suddenly.
With persistent and severe pain in a tumor, surgery can be performed on the brain. However, before this, a thorough examination of the patient is required.
Hemorrhage
This pathological condition can cause a headache of the "sudden blow" type. Very often, these unexpected sensations are significantly different from what the patient has experienced before.
As a rule, pain in subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs on the background of excessive physical activity or a sharp rise in blood pressure.
Temporal arteritis
Most often this disease occurs in people over 50 years old. This disease is characterized by unilateral localization in the temporal region. There is also pain when trying to probe the temporal artery, which noticeably thickens. Temporal arteritis is often accompanied by visual disturbances, fever, aching muscles and joints.
Increased AP
Headache with high blood pressure is constant and growing. Such unpleasant sensations are most pronounced and localized in the frontal region.
Typically, discomfort in the skull occurs at night or in the morning, as well as when coughing and sneezing. The pain may be accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision. It can also be associated with pregnancy, obesity, oral contraceptives, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Vertebral Artery Syndrome
Pain withSuch a disease occurs when the plexuses of the vertebral arteries are irritated. As a rule, this is associated with osteochondrosis of the spine. Most often, with this diagnosis, discomfort is noted in the cervical-occipital region. It is bursting, blunt, shooting and stabbing in nature. It is also possible to spread discomfort in the eye socket. This causes ringing and noise in the ears, dizziness.
Concussion
A concussion doctor should carefully examine a patient immediately after an injury. Pain in this pathology is often accompanied by nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
Sharp, sharp and sudden discomfort is a serious signal of danger. In some cases, even brain surgery may be required.
Expert Help
Which doctor should I contact for headaches? It depends on the nature of the syndrome. It should immediately be noted that several narrow specialists are involved in the treatment of such an ailment.
- Therapist. After consultation, he will be able to refer you to a narrow-profile doctor (for example, an ophthalmologist or ENT).
- Neurologist. Identifies the causes of pain associated with neurological disorders. Such a doctor should be consulted if the pain syndrome differs in duration and particular intensity.
- A psychotherapist is needed if discomfort is accompanied by depressive syndromes, depressed mood and mental stress.
- Reflexologist works on biological pointsbody with fingertips, magnets or needles. He is consulted after consultation with a neurologist or therapist.
- Neurosurgeon. They turn to him with symptoms of a hernia in the cervical spine, frequent dizziness, numbness of the toes and hands, sudden changes in pressure, pain in the joints and shoulders. Also, a consultation with a neurosurgeon is necessary if a brain tumor is suspected.
Examination
Identification of the disease to eliminate persistent headaches is essential. To do this, it is recommended to go:
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- electroencephalography.
An expert may also recommend:
- radiological examination;
- examination of the sinuses and teeth;
- electromyography;
- computer scan;
- electromyostimulation.
Treatment
Treatment of headaches should be carried out only after determining its causes. As a rule, drug therapy is used for this. In some cases, the patient may undergo surgery.
The following types of treatment for headaches are also common: psychotherapy, including relaxation and hypnotherapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage of the temporal and posterior neck areas, aerobics, relaxation exercises, regular exercise, and more.
