One of the most common complaints that patients of any age turn to doctors is a pulsation in the head. Such noise and a sensation of blood flow, a knock, synchronous to the pulse, arise for various reasons. Ripple can occasionally appear after stress, hypothermia or increased physical exertion. And it can occur often and be a symptom of serious disorders in the functioning of blood vessels and other organs. It is just an unpleasant sensation or a throbbing pain. But in any case, it is advisable to consult a doctor if this happens often.
What is a ripple in the head?
This symptom can appear in absolutely healthy young people. A sensation of blood flow through the vessels arises due to mental overstrain, accumulated fatigue or stress. Ripple may be weak or strong, accompanied by pain or tinnitus. Often localized pulsation in the occipital part of the head. In this case, it is associated with a violation of the functioning of blood vessels. A sensation of a pulse can also occur in the frontal, temporal or parietal region.
Why does this feeling appear?
In a healthy person, under the influence of certain factors, tinnitus and pulsation may suddenly occur. In this case, the head can be easily or, conversely, an unusual weight will be felt. This most often happens with a sudden fright, stress, or severe physical strain. This condition causes an increase in heart rate and a simultaneous narrowing of the arteries. Therefore, blood, pushing under pressure through the vessels, makes them pulsate.
Such headaches can occur as a reaction to changes in weather conditions, hormonal fluctuations in women, due to a sedentary lifestyle or because of weakened immunity after serious illnesses. Hypothermia or even excessive consumption of cold foods can also cause a pulsation in the head. Often this sensation arises as a result of severe overwork, accumulated fatigue or emotional overstrain.
What diseases cause throbbing pain?
In many cases, the frequent appearance of such a sensation indicates the development of serious health disorders. Very often, various vascular diseases are no longer manifested by any signs, except that the patient has a pulsating head. Other diseases can be accompanied by different symptoms, one of which will be a pulsation. It is necessary to be examined by a doctor with the appearance of such a sensation in order to diagnose serious diseases on time.
What diseases cause pulsation and pain:
- aneurysm;
- atherosclerosis;
- hypertension;
- kidney disease
- osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
- glaucoma;
- brain tumors;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- migraine;
- sinusitis;
- pulpitis;
- trigeminal neuralgia.
Vascular aneurysm is the most common cause of pulsation
Very often, the cause of a sudden death of a person is precisely this disease. Aneurysm is a thinning of the wall of the cerebral artery and the formation of protrusion, which disrupts the normal flow of blood. This condition may continue for many years without symptoms. Headaches rarely occur, and in half the cases there is a throb in the head. Suddenly, an aneurysm can burst, and such a hemorrhage in the brain always leads to death.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia: symptoms in adults
The treatment of this disease consists only in removing unpleasant sensations, since in many countries it is not even considered a disease, referring to the manifestation of other pathologies. This condition is also called neurocirculatory dysfunction. Quite often, when teenage girls complain of shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, decreased performance and throbbing pain, doctors make a diagnosis of vegetative-vascular dystonia. Symptoms in adults, treatment and prevention of attacks of this disease usually do not change with age. But the disease occurs mainly in women under 30 years old. Problems arising from this are associated with impaired vascular tone. This is what causes a sensation of ripple in the back of the head or temples.
Vascular disturbances causing pulsation
A sensation of a pulse in the head most often occurs if something interferes with the normal passage of blood through the vessels. At the initial stage, this condition may not be accompanied by pain. Some patients go to the doctor with complaints that they have a pulsating head. After the examination, one of the diseases that cause such a sensation is detected.
- Vascular atherosclerosis is characterized by the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of arteries. They disrupt the normal flow of blood, create turbulences that cause a pulsating noise.
- Hypertension or high blood pressure leads to vasoconstriction. The higher it is, the stronger the ripple in the head can be felt when getting out of bed or with any physical exertion.
- A tumor in the brain can press on a vessel, causing it to narrow. Because of this, a ripple occurs in the head, especially noticeable in the morning.
Migraine
This is one of the most common diseases that cause throbbing pain in the head. Migraine is not well understood, and doctors still do not understand the reasons that cause it, as well as why it occurs most often in women. Usually with this disease there is a throbbing pain in one half of the head. It may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, weakness, sensitivity to loud sounds and bright light.
Diseases of other organs
- Some kidney diseases associated with impaired urine outflow lead to an increase in circulating blood volume. This also negatively affects the cerebral arteries, causing noise with every heart beat.
- Cervical osteochondrosis often causes a pulsation in the occipital part of the head. After all, it leads to a narrowing of the vertebral artery. The flow of blood, entering the blood vessels of the brain under pressure, causes such a noise.
- Glaucoma is accompanied by a strong increase in intraocular pressure. This leads to pulsation in the temporal and frontal parts of the head.
- Sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, and even ordinary sinusitis often cause a feeling of fullness and pulsation of blood in the forehead.
Diagnosis of the causes of pulsation
It is very important to consult a doctor if such symptoms appear. After all, a pulsation in the head can be a sign of serious diseases, for example, aneurysm, atherosclerosis, or hypertension. Therefore, timely diagnosis will help to avoid complications. When contacting a doctor, it is important to talk more about your feelings: when and how often the pulsation occurs, where it is localized, what factors provoke it, are there any pains. Usually, after collecting this information, the doctor prescribes the following diagnostic procedures:
- blood and urine tests;
- MRI or ultrasound of the brain;
- electroencephalogram;
- angiography;
- X-ray of the cervical spine.
Consultation with a neurologist, optometrist, cardiologist, otolaryngologist, neurosurgeon will also be necessary.
Features of the treatment of this condition
If after the examination there are no serious violations in the state of the vessels, it is necessary to change the lifestyle to get rid of the pulsation in the head. Regular light physical activity, proper nutrition, vitamins and the absence of stress can easily cope with unpleasant sensations. And in order to relax and relieve emotional stress, you can use breathing exercises, do auto-training or yoga.
If a violation of the functioning of blood vessels is detected, first of all, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease. In addition, physiotherapy exercises, massage, physiotherapeutic procedures, hirudotherapy and spa treatment will help normalize the condition. It is not recommended to take any medications on your own, as you can do even more harm to yourself with this. Only with severe pain can you take the Aspirin, Paracetomol or Ibuprofen tablet.
Alternative methods of treatment
In addition to the main treatment, various alternative recipes can be used. But this can only be done after consulting a doctor. What best helps to cope with the pulsation in the head:
- tea from freshly ground ginger root with honey and lemon normalizes blood circulation;
- if there are no problems with the stomach, you can eat three times a day a tablespoon of crushed horseradish root mixed with sour cream;
- tea from strawberry flowers relieves spasms of cerebral vessels ;
- drink 3 times a day in a glass of decoction of mulberry shoots;
- make a tincture of garlic on vodka and take, adding a few drops to milk;
- syrup from dandelion flowers normalizes the state of blood vessels;
- you can also drink decoctions of valerian root, hawthorn berries, chamomile flowers, motherwort, mint.