Pain in the head resulting from subarachnoid (spinal) anesthesia is the most common complication after surgery. After surgery, the patient often complains of an unpleasant pain in the head. A more dangerous form of headache is quite rare (only 1% of all cases). Anesthesia should be used for cesarean section, prosthetics of the knee joints and when general anesthesia is prohibited. The duration of a headache after spinal anesthesia depends on the form. It can last from several hours to 14 days. It is not surprising that many patients in such situations are interested in the urgent question of how to remove a headache after spinal anesthesia.
Definition of spinal anesthesia
Surgery in the pelvic and extremities, requiring pain relief and at the same time maintaining the patient in a state of consciousness, is carried out by spinal anesthesia. A drug injected into the subarachnoid space directly affects the nerve endings. In this case, the patient may even occasionally move his limbs and feel unpleasant pain. Spinal anesthesia is prescribed in the following cases:
- during surgery on the legs;
- during surgery on the pelvic organs;
- with operations on the small intestine;
- during cesarean section;
- with complicated labor.
At the time of drug administration, the patient is laid on his side or invited to sit with his back to the anesthetist and completely relax his back. At the same time, the head drops as low as possible, the shoulders relax, the back bends with the wheel so that the vertebrae are clearly visible. After a puncture is made and the slow injection of a small dose of anesthetic is done.
To reduce pain during labor, a woman may also be offered anesthesia. But for this, an epidural anesthesia is performed, as it provides a partial loss of sensation and complete relaxation of the muscles. With this type of anesthesia, the anesthetic drug is injected into the epidural space of the spine, with spinal anesthesia into the subarachnoid.
Associated symptoms
Not all patients have a headache after spinal anesthesia. Many tell the doctor that they did not feel any unpleasant symptoms either during the surgical intervention or after it. But a certain percentage of patients noted the following concomitant symptoms:
- pain in one limb that does not go away for several days;
- severe back pain;
- a feeling of heaviness and constriction of the chest, problems with the respiratory system;
- pain in the neck;
- problems with turning the neck to the side.
Description of headache after spinal anesthesia
In case of subarachnoid anesthesia, a special needle is used to pierce the membrane, which is a thin membrane. The space between this substance and the cerebrospinal region is filled with a specific fluid. When determining the causes of headache after spinal anesthesia, it is important to consider the principle of the procedure:
- due to a puncture, fluid is released;
- there is a decrease in intracerebral pressure;
- severe pain in the head occurs.
By reducing the size of the puncture, fluid loss is significantly reduced. As a result, the risk of pain in the head after an anesthetic is administered is reduced.
Modern developments in medicine
To reduce the length of the piercing, the specialists created special thin subarachnoid needles, and also changed the type of sharpening the needle to “pencil”. The main reason for the rare use of the latest needles for the introduction of anesthetic is considered a relatively expensive cost.
It is not always possible to prevent headaches. Often this happens in cases where the puncture was carried out at the wrong angle, there was even a minimal shift of the needle to the side, or the hole of the puncture was closed. Improper technique can also cause subarachnoid hemorrhage. It should be remembered that there are patients for whom spinal anesthesia does not help in any way, and they continue to feel pain symptoms during contractions or surgery.
Distinctive features of a headache
The duration of the action of anesthesia is from 2 to 5 hours, depending on the dosage of the drug administered. Unpleasant symptoms may appear already during the administration of the drug, which is important to tell the anesthetist. Severe headaches after spinal anesthesia appear immediately after anesthesia or after a certain period of time (one day).
Since the main reason for the appearance of a headache is a change in intracranial pressure, it is from him that the patient's overall well-being mainly depends. In this case, the following sensations arise:
- backache in the back of the head;
- dull forehead pain;
- bursting pain throughout the head;
- feeling of squeezing the head;
- heaviness in the cranium.
In some patients, after spinal anesthesia, not only pain in the head appears, but also dizziness, a feeling of loss of support under the legs. However, it should be noted that in all cases, subarachnoid anesthesia is tolerated much simpler than general. After general anesthesia, the patient experiences not only pain in the head, but also a rapid decrease in blood pressure, nausea, and the presence of hallucinations.
Pain prevention
The best method to prevent pain in the head is to use a needle with a puncture that does not exceed 25G in diameter. In addition, it should be sharpened like a pencil.
In addition, in order to avoid possible complications after the operation, doctors advise to observe the following rules:
- 6 hours before surgery, it is forbidden to smoke and drink alcohol;
- to be in a supine position after surgery is necessary for at least 7 hours, it is best to observe bed rest throughout the next day;
- it is worth abandoning the pillow for a day, take a completely horizontal position during sleep, in which the spine will be at the same level with the head;
- you should drink a lot of water - more than two liters per day;
- It is forbidden to lift any heavy objects;
- no sharp movements and inclinations should be made during the next five days.
If pain occurs in the head after anesthesia, then it is important to immediately inform the attending physician who will help to prescribe effective treatment and prevent the occurrence of complications.
Patient Treatment Techniques
How to relieve headaches after spinal anesthesia? In most cases, it is not necessary to deal with such a condition, since the pain passes by itself. If the pain syndrome lasts a long time, then the patient must strictly follow the main recommendations of the doctor.
A good effect can be achieved by taking painkillers. It can be such medications as "Paracetamol", "Askofen", "Citramon", "Ibuprofen". In many patients, the condition improves significantly after drinking tea, coffee or cola.
Epidural Patches
How to treat a headache after spinal anesthesia? Quite rarely, but it still happens that drugs can not have the desired effect and relieve unpleasant pain. In this condition, the pain syndrome only intensifies and does not stop for several days. In this case, specialists insist on using a blood patch (it is done by an anesthetist).
To create a patch, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein from a patient. After that, it is moved to the area in which subarachnoid anesthesia was previously administered. Such therapy brings the following effect:
- blood begins to coagulate naturally;
- the hole in the membrane is blocked.
As a result of this procedure, the headache resulting from anesthesia ceases. As a rule, any unpleasant symptoms after applying the epidural patch disappear after one day.
Many patients note that after using the patch, their condition improved significantly, and all the symptoms of the disease disappeared.
It should be remembered that carrying out such a procedure in some cases is complicated by serious problems. We are talking about the process of the spread of infection in the blood, as well as the appearance of problems with sensory and movements in the lower extremities. In rare cases, pain spreads along the back. The risk of prostate complications after applying an epidural patch is very small, but it exists.
The use of saline
In addition to blood, saline may be injected into the subarachnoid region. From one to one and a half liters of saline is allowed to be introduced throughout the day. It is important to start on the same day that epidural analgesia (or puncture of the spinal cord) was prescribed. The main advantages of this method include high efficiency, safety and sterility of the procedure, which minimizes infection.
At the same time, this method has its own significant disadvantages, including the fact that saline has a liquid consistency and has the ability to be absorbed for a long time. It is for this reason that pressure with its support is restored at the same rate as when the patient was infused with blood.
Pain in the head during spinal anesthesia is considered a fairly common process. To avoid complications, it is worth using one of the methods to prevent its appearance. In addition, it is possible to minimize pain at home. But before that, you should consult with your doctor.
Home Pain Relief
A good result in the treatment of post-puncture headache after spinal anesthesia can be achieved by exposure to caffeine, which can narrow the blood vessels in the head. Caffeine is a fairly potent central nervous system stimulant. What are the features of its application:
- headache occurs due to the rapid expansion of blood vessels, caffeine helps to narrow them, and pain, respectively, eliminate;
- caffeine is allowed to be taken orally and intravenously;
- the best dosage is 500 mg per day;
- in one Czech coffee, there are from 50 to 100 grams of caffeine, depending on the strength of the drink; to recover from a headache, take 5 to 8 cups of coffee throughout the day.
Heavy drink
Receiving a large volume of fluid, especially water, helps to increase blood flow and the amount of fluid in the tissues of the body as a whole. Water enters the body, spreads throughout the body, which entails an increase in pressure. In turn, increased pressure helps to reduce pain in the head caused by partial loss of cerebrospinal fluid. To restore water balance, at least 2.5-3 liters of water per day should be consumed.
Distraction
How to relieve headaches after spinal anesthesia? It is necessary to distract from elementary thoughts of annoying unpleasant severity in the temples. To switch your attention, you should use various visual images to help change focus. Visuals help to concentrate on pleasant events and pictures.
Another visualization method is the repetition of positive phrases and words. Distracting techniques help to divert attention, turn thoughts to positive things. These include watching TV, listening to music, talking with an interesting person. Distracting techniques and visualization help a person switch his attention to other points. But the most correct solution in the event of such an unpleasant complication after anesthesia is to immediately seek medical help.