Headaches vary in intensity and nature. Most often, this condition does not cause people to worry about their health - after all, everyone gets migraines from time to time. Everyone has had this condition at least once in their life. However, migraine does not bring any significant health consequences. The majority of the population thinks so. This is a mistake - some headache symptoms should alert the patient and cause a visit to a neurologist. Diagnostics is necessary to exclude the appearance of neoplasms. Point pain in the head in one place is a serious symptom that cannot be ignored.
Migraine or not migraine?
It is interesting that many people consider migraine to be so-called point pain, at least the pain occurs at one point, the attacks are very short, literally a few seconds. Sharp pain in the temples, near the ears, in the eyes and forehead. sometimes on one side, asymmetrically, but sometimes on both sides at once (mainly along the location of the trigeminal nerve). The pain has a clear localization, most often it is one point, sometimes two. The pain throbs, the person becomes literally immobilized, the condition is simply excruciating.
In this case, the pain is not accompanied by any additional symptoms; this type of point headache is called primary, since it is not a consequence of any other, more serious disorders in the body. Its attacks are not regular and the pain can be controlled with painkillers.
The causes of such attacks are not clear, they are quite rare, and are often mistaken for migraine.
Treatment
When a headache occurs at one point, most people prefer to take a tablet of a potent 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 undergo a full diagnosis once, find out the cause of the pain and take a course of medications that will cure the cause of the disease and prevent recurrent pain.
- If the cause lies in impaired cerebral circulation, taking nootropics and vasodilators will help. “Cinnarizine” has proven itself to be excellent, which, although it belongs to the old generation of drugs, is still actively used in modern neurology and psychiatry. This drug is cheap, and within the first week of use it can have a significant vasodilating effect, which will contribute to the complete disappearance of migraines of any etiology, regardless of the location of the pain - on the right side of the head, the back of the head, the crown.
- If a patient is diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, headache is not uncommon. His forehead often hurts, and there are point pains in the temples and crown. In this case, it is useless to simply relieve the pain - you need to treat osteochondrosis first. The course of intramuscular injections of “Kombilipen” and “Milgamma” must be repeated every three months. A therapeutic massage of the cervical-collar area is necessary. Moderate exercise therapy will also be beneficial. In no case should the patient overexert himself or lift more than five kilograms, or engage in weightlifting or traumatic sports.
- Point cephalalgia 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 by with taking sedative infusions. For example, “Fitosedan” has a fairly 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.
If you have a migraine, then...
Migraine very quickly produces several additional symptoms. Although the pain may be localized, gradually unbearable sensations spread to the entire half of the head.
With a migraine, the headache very quickly begins to be accompanied by additional not very pleasant phenomena: nausea, sometimes even vomiting, and dizziness . Flashes and spots appear in the air before the eyes, tears may flow from the eyes, a painful reaction to sounds and photophobia appears.
Any sharp sound, smell, or just active movement around can greatly increase suffering. A person during a migraine attack often cannot even speak, the pain is so severe, piercing.
Traditional medicine recipes
Alternative therapy recommends using simple ways to combat headaches:
- humidify the room well, lie down on your left side and place a pillow on top;
- take herbal tea, relaxing and relieving nervous tension (sage, linden, aromatic mint, delicate lemon balm) without sugar, after which it is recommended to rest;
- if cider is caused by low blood pressure: dilute 0.5 teaspoons of salt in 250 ml of water and drink the prepared solution;
- honey has a positive effect on blood circulation - for migraines, it is enough to take 100 grams of a natural product after meals;
- mix viburnum and honey in equal proportions, eat a tablespoon up to 4 times a day;
- Mix fresh rye bread with vinegar, wrap in a bandage and apply to the most painful place.
How to deal with pain
It is difficult to talk about the reasons that can trigger an attack. Nervous stress, excessive stress in the absence of the opportunity or simply the ability to relax.
Having noticed your susceptibility to such ailment, you should learn to switch and relax. The ability to move away from an irritating environment, meditate, achieve a healing degree of relaxation - if it does not save you from attacks, then at least significantly reduce the likelihood of their occurrence.
It is useful to do yoga; a little time every day will give the body the opportunity to receive increased oxygen nutrition and increase the overall harmonious attitude towards life.
You can start with breathing exercises; the simplest methods of energetic breathing will help you endure pain more easily and ensure a flow of oxygen to the brain.
- Nadi Sodhana. Alternate breathing through the right and left nostrils. We must pay attention - the exhalation should be longer than the inhalation, at least 2 times (and as training progresses, 6-8 times). It is better to start doing this exercise without waiting for an attack, but you can try it during it, since performing this cycle can relieve pain.
- Sitali. Sit up straight, for practitioners the lotus or Turkish pose is suitable, slowly, with pleasure, draw in air through the protruding tongue rolled into a tube. Exhale through the nose, mouth closed. You should perform the exercise easily, feel the sweetness and healing of the air. Breathing done correctly can lower the temperature; this exercise can be performed in the heat and when you are very thirsty.
To relieve headaches, you need to accustom yourself to inhale and exhale without tension, with pleasure.
The list of pranayamas goes on, but these two are the simplest and are effective enough to provide noticeable relief from migraine pain.
Advice from neurologists: how to avoid the development of cluster and point pain
A list of simple recommendations that will help prevent the development of migraines of any etiology and diseases that provoke them:
- You need to sleep at least eight hours every night. no matter what problems the patient may be experiencing, no matter what stress he may be experiencing, a good night’s sleep should be a must.
- Good nutrition is the basis of a healthy nervous system. Under no circumstances should you adhere to strict diets and starve yourself - even if the consequences do not appear immediately, they will come over time (the nervous system exhausted by fasting does not forgive such an attitude).
- A sufficient amount of amino acids, vitamins and microelements in the diet.
- The correct reaction to stress is to remain calm in any situation, so that later you don’t think about why your head hurts (the back of your head, the crown or your forehead).
- Moderate physical education - do not exhaust yourself with exercises, do not provoke overwork.
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The main thing is not to harm yourself
- If you have heart disease or serious vascular problems, you should discuss the possibility of practicing yoga with your doctor. It should be remembered that correctly selected yoga poses can bring relief for these deviations as well. Therefore, it doesn’t hurt to also consult with a yoga specialist; there is definitely a way to join it without harming your health.
- The presence of malignant neoplasms can be a serious contraindication.
- If you have a severe cold, it is also better to stop doing yoga.
One simple way to alleviate the condition can be recommended from folk remedies: when an attack occurs, fresh lemon peel, namely white pulp, is applied to the painful point. The head is pulled tightly with a towel or scarf, and a horizontal position is assumed in the dark and silence.
Drug treatment for migraine headaches should only be prescribed by a doctor, and only in combination with other medications, since most of the specific drugs used for this disease have a large number of contraindications and unpleasant side effects.
You can try to use painkillers on your own, but after consulting with your doctor, you can get more detailed and individual information about this.
Histamine headache
Sometimes this type of pain is mistaken for point pain, since most often it occurs in the same place, in the area of the temporal artery. Often a person is susceptible to both diseases.
Usually there are daytime attacks; during night attacks, the person wakes up immediately; the attack can last up to an hour. The eye on the affected side becomes bloodshot, tears may flow, and profuse nasal discharge may begin.
However, it differs from migraine and point pain in that the affected side never changes. To make an accurate diagnosis, a histamine test is performed, and if the result is positive, appropriate treatment is prescribed. If treatment with conservative methods is ineffective, surgical intervention is used: the trigeminal nerve ganglion is destroyed and neurostimulation of the occipital nerve is performed.
Cervical osteochondrosis
It is often a consequence of neglect of health, when a person does not consider it necessary to maintain his body in optimal condition. There is a constant, clearly localized pain, the attacks are short, no more than 10 minutes , the pain intensifies with head movements. It often occurs in the morning, when staying in one position for a long time, and may be accompanied by numbness or aching pain in the neck. Pain appears in the temples and back of the head, with increased blood pressure, insomnia, and poor coordination.
How to treat
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is not an easy, lengthy process that requires effort from the patient and a great desire to help himself. The use of only antispasmodics and painkillers does not give a lasting positive result.
Complex treatment should be prescribed by a doctor after obtaining a complete picture of the disease, however, the person himself can do a lot to alleviate his condition. There are special sets of exercises designed to improve blood circulation in compressed vessels and normalize the muscle tone of the neck. Compresses help well, there are many folk remedies.
It is useful to do yoga - the static nature and versatility of this healing system will not only allow you to forget about attacks quite quickly, but can also gradually bring the entire spine, not only the cervical spine, to an optimal state, that is, eliminate the very cause of the disease. You can start practicing yoga at any age, in almost any state of health, because even the simplest asanas will enable the body to begin recovery processes.
Injuries
The appearance of a headache can be a consequence of an injury, and the pain can be of any kind: shooting, stabbing, and even loss of consciousness is possible. Sometimes this happens when a person has already forgotten about the injury (fall, etc.).
If the occurrence of headaches can be even remotely associated with a recent or even long-standing injury you should immediately consult a doctor for examination , since simply relieving pain with pills can subsequently only worsen the situation, since the presence of extensive brain damage can progress.
Seven main causes of left-sided cephalalgia
Occipital neuralgia
This type of headache occurs due to irritation or pinched nerves at the base of the skull, which is caused by injury, herniated discs, or brain tumors. The pain in this case is described as throbbing, shooting, stabbing, of high intensity, localized on the left. Some patients also note increased sensitivity of the scalp on the left side and intolerance to light. This pain is very intense, but not life-threatening.
Occipital neuralgia occurs due to pinched nerves at the base of the skull
Treatment is based on the use of ointments or gels applied to the neck area, massage, rest in a quiet environment and taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen. If necessary, the doctor prescribes stronger analgesics, as well as muscle relaxants and anticonvulsants. Other treatment options include novocaine blockades and injections of steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Surgery is rarely required.
Migraine
This disease is one of the common causes of severe, debilitating headaches in the left side of the head. As with occipital neuralgia, the pain of migraines is high-intensity but is described as throbbing or pounding. May be accompanied by nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, and even loss of coordination. In some patients, migraine paroxysm is preceded by an aura: it appears a few minutes before the onset of the attack and presents various visual disturbances: colored or flashing lights, blind spots, wavy lines, and tingling in the limbs. The attack lasts from 4 to 72 hours, and sometimes longer. Patients suffering from even recurrent migraine attacks should receive preventative treatment and visit their doctor regularly to minimize the impact of the disease on quality of life.
A migraine headache is throbbing and pressing, usually lasting more than 4 hours
Treatment for pain on the left side of the head caused by migraine includes rest, muscle relaxation exercises, adequate sleep and exercise. Such patients are recommended to keep a so-called headache diary, which allows them to track what factors provoke migraine attacks: eliminating these factors can significantly reduce the number of exacerbations. Ibuprofen and naproxen can reduce pain, but do not completely stop it, so prescription painkillers are needed - opioids (hydrocodone), or the steroid drug dexamethasone. Those who suffer from chronic migraines are prescribed medications whose action is aimed at preventing the development of an attack: drugs that stabilize blood pressure, anticonvulsants, antiemetics, triptans.
Brain tumors
The main reason for fear when a headache occurs is a suspicion of brain cancer. The skull is quite compact and there is no extra space in it, so when the tumor in the left hemisphere reaches a certain size, the pressure inside the skull and on neighboring tissues increases. This leads to cephalalgia and neurological symptoms such as weakness, motor dysfunction, and speech disorders.
With a brain tumor, pain occurs because pressure increases inside the skull and on other tissues
Treatment of a tumor is a complex process, depending on its size, location and type. Some areas of the left hemisphere brain are more accessible to traditional surgery than others. In combination with surgical methods, radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as chemotherapy, are used.
Stroke
A stroke is a vascular accident when the flow of blood in the brain, in the left or right hemisphere, is blocked by a blood clot. As a result, part of the brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Symptoms include headache, which can be localized to any part of the head, not just the affected side. In this case, general weakness develops, numbness in parts of the body, slurred speech is possible, and in some cases a stroke can lead to death. But even this dangerous disease can be prevented if you change your lifestyle: lose excess weight, exercise, limit the consumption of alcohol and junk food. Due to the increased risk of stroke, patients with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels and follow the doctor's recommendations.
Giant cell or temporal arteritis
This disease often manifests itself as a headache, and its cause is inflammation of the wall of a blood vessel. Symptoms include severe headache, jaw soreness while eating, scalp tenderness, low-grade fever and blurred vision. If left untreated, temporal arteritis can progress to complete blindness.
The prognosis (subject to treatment) is favorable. Therapy for giant cell arteritis is based on the use of corticosteroid drugs.
Tension headache
About 50% of the adult population experiences at least one episode of such pain during the year. It can be the result of stress, visual fatigue, insufficient sleep, or skipping meals. Incorrect posture, an uncomfortable desk or chair, resulting in prolonged muscle strain, contribute to the occurrence of tension-type headache.
Most describe the symptoms of TTH as a feeling like a tight band around the head. Pain in the left side of the neck and shoulder can also be a symptom of a tension headache.
Tension headaches are relieved by muscle relaxation, massage and posture correction
Treatment consists of teaching the patient muscle relaxation, prescribing a course of massage and posture correction. Regular pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, can be used to relieve symptoms.
Cluster headache
This is a hereditary disease, and men are affected 4 times more often than women, and attacks occur daily for several days. Pain in the left side of the head occurs a couple of hours after falling asleep, is burning in nature, lasts two hours or more, and is accompanied by redness of the eyes, runny nose, lacrimation and swelling of the eyelids. More often it is one-sided: the headache hurts on the right or left. Provoking factors: physical activity, bright light, hot weather, climbing to high altitudes, smoking, alcohol or drug abuse.
