Headache comes in varying degrees of intensity and character. Most often, this condition does not cause concern for their he alth in people - after all, everyone has a migraine from time to time. Everyone has had this condition at least once in their life. At the same time, migraine does not bring any significant he alth consequences. This is what the majority of the population thinks. This is a mistake - some symptoms of a headache should alert the patient and cause him to consult a neurologist. Diagnosis is necessary to exclude the appearance of neoplasms. Point pain in the head in one place is a serious symptom that should not be ignored.
Migraine types and their causes
Migraine is a neurological disease. It is in question if the patient complains of recurring headaches. They can be different in nature and intensity. Migraine can be both an independent disease and a symptom of any disease. In order to find out which disease caused the development of migraine, many diagnostic studies should be carried out. These are CT, MRI, checking the condition of the cervical spine, assessingfunctioning of blood vessels, etc. If the head hurts at one point, this is also one of the manifestations of migraine.
Neurology identifies the following types of migraine:
- Classic (with aura). Such a migraine is characterized not only by a severe headache in the temples or forehead, but also by the so-called aura. It seems to the patient that he sees a flickering to the left and right, but when he shifts his gaze, it turns out that there is nothing there. This effect is called "visual aura", and all patients suffering from classic migraine are familiar with it.
- Normal migraine without aura usually occurs in people in their twenties and older. The cause of this condition is often osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, pathologies of the cardiovascular system, mental disorders. A typical migraine is not characterized by a point pain in the head. It is of an enveloping nature. often the back of the head, the forehead, and the temples hurt at the same time. Or a temple on one side and the back of the head. The top of the head almost never hurts with a common migraine.
- Ophthalmoplegic migraine is a condition in which the muscles of the visual organs stop functioning completely or partially. As a result of this, on the part of the developing pain syndrome, double vision, ptosis or mydriasis is observed. This diagnosis is quite rare, and not only a neuropathologist, but also an ophthalmologist deals with his therapy. If the patient notes that pain in the right side of the head (in rare cases, on the left) or in the forehead is accompanied by visual impairment, it is possible that he hasophthalmoplegic migraine.
- The retinal form of the disease is accompanied by the appearance of "blind" spots. The patient suffers from the appearance of black areas in the field of vision. This process is accompanied by shooting pain in the occiput. in some cases, the pain may not be sharp, but aching in nature. For an accurate diagnosis and the appointment of effective treatment, the patient will have to undergo an MRI of the brain, make an electroencephalogram. In some cases, a vascular check may be required for diagnosis.
- Complicated migraine is characterized not only by headache, but also by visual, auditory, vestibular disorders. In some cases, an attack of this disease can provoke a loss of consciousness. If the condition is complicated by convulsions, the patient may have an epileptic seizure. To identify the exact cause of the disease, you should undergo an electroencephalogram and a number of other studies.
Point headache
A piercing headache, sharply arising at one point, is an extremely dangerous syndrome. This condition, depending on the frequency of occurrence and the brightness of the sensation, may indicate diagnoses:
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- neoplasms of a benign or malignant nature;
- intracranial pressure;
- jumps in blood pressure (hypertension or essential hypertension);
- osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
These are the main reasons for a headache at one point. The more oftenthere is discomfort and pain - the more likely that the patient is dealing with a serious illness.
Feelings experienced by the patient
Before a consultation with a neurologist, the patient should listen to himself in order to describe as accurately as possible at the appointment exactly how his head hurts at one point. Feelings can be:
- Sharp and sudden pain, resembling a puncture with a sharp needle.
- Localization of the problem: the head hurts at one point - on the top of the head, in the back of the head or elsewhere.
- Darkness in the eyes when an attack occurs, or maybe the patient passed out during a migraine flare.
- During an attack, the patient observes any shadows, flickering to the left or right, darkening of some areas in the field of view.
It will also be necessary to clarify what is the duration of the attacks - a few seconds or minutes? The more detailed the patient describes the symptoms to the neuropathologist, the easier it will be to draw up a clinical picture for the appointment of a suitable treatment.
Treatment
When the head hurts at one point, most people prefer to take a pill with a strong analgesic. This approach is fundamentally wrong: the attack of pain will return again and again. Stopping it every time with pills is wrong. It is better to go through a complete diagnosis once, find out the cause of the pain and drink a course of medications that will cure the cause of the disease and prevent recurring pain.
If the reason lies in the violation of cerebral circulation, taking nootropics and vasodilators will help. Excellent"Cinnarizine" has proven itself, which, although it belongs to the drugs of the old generation, is still actively used in modern neurology and psychiatry. This drug is cheap, already within the first week of taking it, it can have a significant vasodilating effect, which will contribute to the complete disappearance of migraine of any etiology, regardless of the localization of pain - in the right side of the head, back of the head, crown
- If a patient is diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, headache is not uncommon. His forehead often hurts, there are point pains in the temples and crown. In this case, it is useless to simply stop the pain - osteochondrosis should be treated first. The course of intramuscular injections of Kombilipen, Milgamma should be repeated every three months. Requires therapeutic massage of the cervical-collar zone. Moderate exercise therapy will also benefit. In no case should the patient overexert and lift more than five kilograms, as well as engage in weightlifting and traumatic sports.
- Spot cephalgia in the head area is often one of the manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia. In this case, taking vasodilators and sedatives will help. You can often get away with taking sedative infusions. For example, Fitosedan has a rather powerful sedative effect. You can also use nootropics. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe drugs that have a mild tranquilizing effect -for example, "Afobazol".
Cluster headache: symptoms
A rarer and more complex manifestation of a point headache is beam cephalgia. Doctors also call it cluster, histamine or Horton, depending on the location and nature of the pain. It manifests itself in the following symptoms:
- pain in the temporal artery during the next attack;
- discomfort and pain on one side only (not always), in the temple area;
- cephalgia can develop at night - and often the patient is forced to wake up from the intensity of painful sensations;
- the duration of the attack varies - most often it is five to six minutes, but in rare cases it can last for hours before taking the anesthetic;
- nasopharyngeal swelling and tearing;
- pupil constriction.
Harbinger of serious diseases
Beam cephalgia, in which the patient constantly experiences point throbbing pain in the right side of the head, may indicate the development of the following diseases and conditions:
- brain tumors of various origins;
- abstinence condition;
- aneurysms;
- hematomas due to head injuries and concussions;
- poisoning with some drugs;
- taking vasodilators (eg, nitroglycerin) or histamine.
Tunnel headache therapy
Drug treatment can be prescribed by a neurologist after receivingresearch results. For accurate diagnosis, it is often necessary to undergo an MRI of the brain and electroencephalography. If the exact cause of the occurrence of beam cephalgia is not known, until the exact diagnosis is clarified, pain can be stopped with the following drugs:
- Ketorol is a powerful prescription pain reliever that relieves even the most severe pain ten to fifteen minutes after ingestion.
- "Instant". The active ingredient of the drug is ibuprofen. It is a fast-acting effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicine. Sold in any pharmacy without a prescription.
- "Citramon" is the most popular and cheapest analgesic, which also contains caffeine. Gives energy, has a stimulating effect.
For a sharp point pain in the head, most people prefer to take a potent analgesic pill. This approach is doubtful: the attack of pain will return, and more than once. Stopping it every time with pills is wrong. It is better to go through a full diagnosis once, find out the cause of the pain and take a course of medications that will eliminate the cause of the disease and prevent recurring pain.
Which doctor deals with migraine therapy
In order to permanently get rid of bouts of beam cephalgia or point migraine, to find out why the back of the head hurts, you should undergo a complete examination. By acting on the source of the problem, you can achieve a long-term remission. Canmake an appointment with a paid neurologist. But then the research will all be paid. As a result, the total amount that the patient will have to spend to find out the cause of the pain will be at least twenty thousand rubles (you will need to pay for an MRI of the brain, an electroencephalogram, and a transcript of the result).
You can go the other way and not spend a dime in the diagnosis. But this will take more time. The patient must take his medical policy and go to the district clinic, where he will be given a coupon for an appointment with a local therapist. He, in turn, will issue a coupon for a consultation with a neurologist. Already there, after the presentation of all complaints, further treatment will be prescribed and a referral for the necessary studies will be issued.
Relationship and difference between point pain and regular migraine
Pint cephalgia is often a component of other types of headaches:
- "Tension pain" - this concept in neurology arose a long time ago and is still relevant. Occurs in both men and women due to severe nervous and physical fatigue. It is expressed not only in point cephalalgia, but also in the fact that the forehead and the back of the head hurt (the localization and nature of the pain change on average once an hour). In parallel, the patient feels nausea, dizziness, and may lose consciousness. Getting enough sleep is often enough to stop these symptoms. If the patient is unable to fall asleep on his own, a sleeping pill should be taken.
- Histamine pain. In 40% of cases, it is interconnected withprimary pain sensations. One type of migraine can be a harbinger of another and change the patient's condition. For example, the condition begins as a migraine with aura, after an hour it flows into an ophthalmoplegic form.
- Cranialgia is a condition that occurs when the trigeminal nerve becomes inflamed. This is a common reason why the back of the head and crown hurt. Cranialgia is characterized by shootings in the form of short-term impulses. Most often, this condition does not require any special treatment and disappears after the inflammatory process of the trigeminal nerve stops.
Advice from neurologists: how to avoid the development of beam and point pains
A list of simple recommendations that will help prevent the development of migraine of any etiology and diseases that provoke it:
- Every night you need to sleep at least eight hours. no matter what problems haunt the patient, no matter what stresses he may experience - a good night's sleep should be a must.
- Complete nutrition is the foundation of a he althy nervous system. In no case should you adhere to strict diets and starve - even if the consequences do not appear immediately, they will come with time (the nervous system exhausted by starvation does not forgive such an attitude).
- Sufficient amount of amino acids, vitamins and trace elements in the diet.
- The correct reaction to stress - in any situation, you should remain calm so that later you don’t think why your head hurts (back of the head, crown or forehead).
- Moderate exercise - do not exhaust yourself with exercise, do not provoke overwork.
