If you ask the population which symptom occurs most often, then most people will answer that this is a headache. It arises due to many reasons. In some cases, this is ordinary fatigue, and in others, serious neurological and infectious pathologies. Most often, discomfort is noted in the forehead, eyes and temples. By the localization of pain, its prevalence and nature, you can make a list of ailments for differential diagnosis. Also, the doctor will be helped by information about what precedes the appearance of discomfort and how they stop. A final diagnosis of pain in the forehead will be possible thanks to an instrumental examination.
It is worth noting that the occurrence of discomfort in the head is rarely associated with organic damage. Most often, pain is a sign of intoxication syndrome or changes in atmospheric and blood pressure. The most common causes include sinusitis, migraine, and hypertension.
Why do forehead pains appear?
The frontal region is the part of the head that contacts almost all structures of the skull. The eye sockets, temporal and nasal bones adjoin it. Under the frontal bone are the shells of the brain. Also in this area are blood vessels and cranial nerves. In this regard, complaints that the head hurts in the forehead and presses can mean many different violations. Determining the cause of such a common symptom can be difficult.
Often people complain that they periodically have a headache, a forehead, or other nearby areas. Some do not attach much importance to this and do not seek the help of doctors. Indeed, rare and non-intense pain does not indicate pathology at all. They can occur in the norm. For example, with changes in atmospheric pressure, intoxication of the body with a cold, a hangover, etc. Such discomfort disappears on its own and does not affect health. However, if a person constantly has a headache, forehead and eyes, it is worth considering the presence of violations. The causes of unpleasant sensations include the following groups of factors:
- Infections
- Inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinuses or nerves.
- Vascular disorders.
- Migraine.
- Head injuries.
- Increased intracranial or ocular pressure.
- Tumors of the brain or its membranes.
Each of these groups of factors includes many diseases accompanied by pain in the forehead. Only the doctor can identify the source of the problem after the examination. It is worth noting that acute pain syndrome often indicates a serious pathological condition requiring emergency care. If the discomfort is not pronounced slightly, then the treatment can wait until an accurate diagnosis is established. However, do not delay with going to the doctor.
Infectious pain
Often patients complain that it hurts in the forehead and eyes. This symptom occurs both in infections and in acute inflammatory processes. Similar pain can occur with flu, sore throat, respiratory viral infections. In these cases, discomfort does not mean that there are any structural disturbances in the head. The pain syndrome develops against the background of intoxication and stops after the elimination of the underlying pathology. The exceptions are infections that affect the membrane and substance of the brain. Examples include diseases such as encephalitis and meningitis. These inflammatory processes are accompanied by severe headaches and neurological disorders. To identify them, special clinical and laboratory diagnostics are required. Meningitis can be suspected if the patient complains that his head, forehead, and orbital region are unbearably painful. Symptoms are accompanied by severe intoxication and meningeal symptoms. With the involvement of brain matter in the inflammatory process, neurological disorders appear.
Another common cause of forehead pain is sinusitis. These include sinusitis, ethmoiditis and frontal sinusitis. All these pathologies are characterized by the penetration of microbes into the paranasal sinuses. The mechanism of pain is the accumulation of inflammatory exudate in the sinuses and pressure on their membranes. This is accompanied by an increase in temperature and a violation of the outflow of mucus. In some cases, inflammation passes to nearby structures, in particular, to the facial and trigeminal nerve. This occurs in the absence of timely treatment for sinusitis. A violation of sensitivity and asymmetry of the face are attached to the headache. Eliminate inflammation of the sinuses is only possible with the help of antibacterial drugs. In severe cases, surgical procedures are required.
Features of discomfort in the forehead with migraine
Migraine may be the reason that the head hurts in the forehead and eyes. This is a common ailment, the pathogenesis of which is still not clear. It is believed that migraine is associated with the genetic characteristics of the body. Sudden attacks of severe headache appear due to dysregulation of the tone of small vessels. It is almost impossible to identify migraines through laboratory and instrumental studies. Often the diagnosis is established on the basis of clinical manifestations. These include:
- Typical localization of pain.
- The sudden onset of an attack.
- The presence of a specific aura preceding discomfort.
In most cases, before migraine attacks, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, the appearance of flashes of light in front of the eyes (photopsies), general weakness, and tinnitus occur. Patients complain of sudden and unbearable pain in the head, forehead, eyes, neck. Typical localization is one half of the face and skull. Pain is difficult to stop with medication. Usually discomfort disappears on its own after 30-60 minutes. To reduce discomfort, aromatherapy and massage are used.
Pain in violation of cerebral circulation
Often at the doctor’s appointment, the patient complains that his forehead hurts and presses on his eyes. This is often associated with increased intracranial pressure. Hypertension occurs for many reasons. Most often, this is the result of a head injury. Intracranial pressure rises due to stagnation of cerebrospinal fluid in the spinal cord or brain. At the same time, pain receptors located in the meningeal membranes and vessels are irritated. To alleviate the condition, puncture of the spinal cord is required.
Patients with hypertension also often complain that they have a headache, pressure on the forehead, temples and eyes. Pathology is common among the elderly, but can also develop in young people. Hypertension is associated with many causes. Among them: diseases of the kidneys, heart, endocrine glands. In addition to pressure in the forehead, symptoms such as tinnitus, nausea, and dizziness are noted. The systematic administration of antihypertensive drugs helps to cope with the pathology.
An intolerable headache that appears suddenly is one of the symptoms of acute cerebrovascular accident (stroke). The causes of this condition are arterial hypertension and vascular thromboembolism. The disease requires immediate surgical treatment. In addition to severe pain, the pathology is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as neurological manifestations (paralysis, cramps, visual impairment). Violation of the blood circulation of the brain can be chronic. In such a case, it is called discirculatory encephalopathy (DEP). Symptoms of pathology: headache, impaired memory and sleep. To attenuate the manifestations of encephalopathy, regular observation and treatment by a neurologist is required.
Other causes of pain
In addition to these ailments, there are many reasons why a person has a sore forehead and eyes. Among them, neurological, endocrinological, oncological and other pathologies. In some cases, headache and pressure on the eyes occurs due to ophthalmic disorders. These include: astigmatism, myopia, glaucoma. Among other reasons, there are:
- Chronic fatigue. Due to disturbances in sleep and rest, overstrain of the nervous system often develops. In addition, it can be associated with stressful effects. Neurosis is accompanied by a constant headache, impaired sleep, nutrition and emotional control.
- Brain tumors. Regardless of whether there is a benign mass in the head or cancer, this affects the patient's condition. Any tumor of the brain or its membranes causes irritation of pain receptors. In addition, the symptoms of neoplasm are convulsions, visual disturbances, facial asymmetry, mental and neurological manifestations.
- Head injuries. These include bruises and concussion. Injuries are accompanied by nausea, impaired consciousness and coordination. Discomfort in the forehead usually joins later and can bother a person for a long time.
- Chronic alcoholism and other intoxications. The constant effect of harmful substances on brain neurons leads to their death. In addition, toxins cause damage to the vascular system. As a result, chronic pressing pains develop that are difficult to treat.
- Frequent watching TV, listening to music and working on the computer. All this leads to an overload of the organs of hearing and vision, as a result of which nervous tension and headache develop.
These are the main causes of discomfort in the forehead. In addition to them, there are other harmful factors: the accumulation of toxic substances used in food, hypoxia, a change in temperature and atmospheric pressure, etc. Mental pathologies can be distinguished separately.
Diagnostics for headaches
Screening for headaches includes examination by specialists such as an otolaryngologist, an ophthalmologist and a neurologist. The standard diagnostic methods are:
- Electroencephalography.
- X-ray of the skull and paranasal sinuses.
- Ophthalmoscopy
- Ultrasound examination: neurosonography (NSG) and EchoEG.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain.
Start a diagnostic search with simpler research methods. If the source of the headache could not be identified, an MRI of the brain is performed. It will help identify organic pathology, if any. In the absence of structural abnormalities, a thorough laboratory diagnosis is required (to detect toxic effects). If the cause could not be determined, more complex examinations are prescribed. Among them are PET-CT examinations by a psychologist, etc.
Differential diagnosis for headaches
A headache is such a common symptom that it is very difficult even for experienced doctors to identify the cause of its occurrence. First of all, the therapist finds out the features of clinical manifestations. These include: the nature of the pain, its duration, localization and irradiation, associated symptoms. Based on the survey and examination, the doctor puts forward the alleged diagnosis and appoints an examination.
The presence of signs of infection indicates the inflammatory nature of the disease. In such cases, an X-ray examination of the sinuses is recommended. Most often, pain in such cases is associated with sinusitis or frontal sinusitis.
With an increase in blood pressure, ultrasound and dopplerography of the brain vessels are required. The detection of atherosclerotic plaques in the arterial bed indicates chronic hypoxia and the development of encephalopathy.
Impairment of motor function and consciousness, convulsive syndrome, pupil changes are indications for urgent brain tomography. Sudden pain for no apparent reason often indicates the presence of vegetative-vascular dystonia or migraine.
Home Assistance
Not all patients who experience pressure on the forehead seek medical attention. You can alleviate the pain at home. To do this, apply a towel moistened with cold water on the head, take warm baths with aromatic oils. If such measures do not help, you can drink an anesthetic. Similar drugs include Ketonov, Analgin medicines. With a decrease in blood pressure, sweet tea or strong coffee, as well as Citramon helps. However, if the pain recurs again, examination is required. Symptomatic therapy provides only temporary relief and leads to addiction. In this case, the cause of the pathology remains undetected.
Forehead hurts and crushes: what to do?
Treatment of pain includes etiotropic, pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy. In order to influence the cause of the pathology, antihypertensive, antibacterial and neuroprotective drugs are prescribed. The selection of medications depends on the source of pain. With severe sinusitis, a puncture of the sinus is required and its purification from accumulated purulent exudate. Surgical treatment may be required for acute ischemic circulatory disorders, brain tumors and intracranial hypertension.
Headache Prevention
It is impossible to predict the appearance of a headache. However, in order to protect yourself from this symptom, you should spend more time in the fresh air, relax from work, get enough sleep and not abuse watching TV. If you experience unpleasant sensations, you should try to avoid stress. If all measures are taken, and pain persists, you need to seek help.