Headache Causes, Symptoms

Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain in the body and has many causes.

• The head is one of the most common sites of pain in the body.
  
  
• The most common types of headache can be classified as 1) primary, 2) secondary, and 3) cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches.
  
  
• The most common types of primary headaches are 1) tension, 2) migraine, and 3) cluster.
  
  
• Tension headaches are the most common type of primary headache and usually are treated with over-the-counter medications for pain
  
  
• Secondary headaches are a symptom of an injury or an underlying illness.
  
  
• Patients should seek medical care for new onset headaches, fever, stiff neck, change in behavior, vomiting, weakness or change in sensation.
  

There are three major categories of headaches:

1. Primary headaches,
   Primary headaches include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as a variety of other less common types of headache.
   
   
2. Secondary headaches,
   Secondary headaches are those that are due to an underlying structural problem in the head or neck
   
   
3. Cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches
   Cranial neuralgia describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and upper neck become inflamed and are the source of the head pain. Facial Pain and a variety of other causes for headache are included in this category.

Treatment
The pain killers may grant you relief form the pain temporarily but is not permanent solution. The three most common and most effective migraine and headache treatments are the triptans, the ergots and the midrins. These three families of medications target the source of the headache instead of simply numbing the pain. Migraine headache treatments and medications is effective if should affect source of the pain.

Getting Down to the Cause

Migraine and headache occur due to the expansion of blood vessels in the brain. The brain is a very dense construction and the blood vessels as long thing balloons. Usually these blood vessels are deflated. The headache happens because these blood vessels grow larger and larger, like a balloon being blown up. As the blood vessels get bigger, they put pressure on the structure around them; this pressure is what causes a migraine. Thus focusing on the source of pain rather than just curbing the ache would curb the Migraine.

The Mechanics of Treatment

All three medications discussed above hits the root cause of the problem. It causes the blood vessels to constrict, relieving the pressure and hence the pain. The pain killer pills generally numb only the pain instead of addressing the main cause of the problem. It's for this reason that the medical treatments for migraines and headaches listed above are the most effective when it comes to treating true, sever, headaches.

Is One Better than the Others

Out of the three medical treatments listed, the triptan family is, at present, thought to be the safest especially for the heart patients. This is because all three medications constrict blood vessels all over the body, not just in the brain; thus mostly people are prone to a higher risk of heart problems and an attack following use of one of these vessel-targeting medications.