Pressive pain in the head is most often associated with high blood pressure. However, arterial hypertension is far from the only reason for the appearance of such a symptom. What diseases do you feel squeezing in the skull? And how to get rid of discomfort? We will consider these issues in the article.
Varieties of pain
Why is there pain in my head? Such a symptom can indicate a variety of pathologies. Only a doctor can identify the exact etiology of the pain syndrome. However, if you listen to your feelings, you can roughly assume the possible cause of discomfort.
Pressing pains in the head can be divided into several types, depending on their etiology:
- neuralgic;
- vascular;
- associated with a violation of the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid;
- infectious;
- pain of tension.
Next, we will consider in detail different types of pain.
Neuralgia
Unpleasant sensations can be associated with inflammation or pinching of nerve endings. Constant pressing pains in the head are often observed in patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and trigeminal neuralgia. At the same time, other symptoms are observed in patients:
- numbness of the fingers, face or neck;
- stiff muscles in the morning;
- soreness in the jaw, temples, or neck.
A sense of compression most often occurs in the back of the head, and then spreads to the parietal region. Pain can be either one-sided or two-sided.
Spasms of blood vessels
Very often, a painful sensation of compression occurs when the walls of the vessels of the brain narrow. In this case, there is a feeling of fullness and ripple in the head. Such pains are noted with atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension.
This symptom is accompanied by dizziness, weakness, increased anxiety and irritability.
Disorders of cerebrospinal fluid outflow
There are cases when in patients pressing pains in the head do not go away even after taking potent analgesics and antispasmodics. This may be due to increased intracranial pressure.
Liquor is constantly circulating in the brain. This fluid is constantly produced by ependymal cells, passes through the meninges, and then is absorbed into the bloodstream. It is necessary to protect nerve tissues from harmful effects.
With various diseases of the central nervous system and head injuries, the number of cerebrospinal fluid increases sharply. Fluid begins to squeeze brain tissue. This condition is called intracranial hypertension. It is accompanied by severe pressing pain in the head. Patients have the feeling that their skull is pulled tight with a hoop. This is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Against the background of infection
In infectious diseases, a compressive headache is associated with intoxication of the body with bacterial and viral toxins. At the same time, a person's general well-being worsens, weakness and aching in the joints appear.
Pressing pain in the head of an infectious etiology does not have a clear localization. It is poorly stopped by taking analgesics. You can completely get rid of the pain syndrome only after recovery.
Muscle tension
A headache of tension is a very common occurrence. It occurs after hard physical or mental work, and also against a background of stress. The cause of pressing pain in the head is overstrain of the cervical muscles.
Painful compression is felt over the entire surface of the skull. It does not have a specific localization. At the same time, a person feels weakness, anxiety, his activity and working capacity fall. Discomfort usually goes away after a rest or a light massage.
Next, we consider the possible causes of the pain syndrome, depending on its location.
In the back of the head
Pressing pain in the head, localized in the back of the head, may be a sign of the following diseases:
- Anemia Brain tissue is the first to suffer from a decrease in hemoglobin. The central nervous system experiences a sharp deficit of oxygen. Pressing pain first occurs in the back of the head, and then goes to the frontal and temporal region. This is accompanied by weakness, increased fatigue and dizziness.
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Deformed vertebrae can compress the nerve endings and vessels of the head. As a result, the outflow of blood is sharply disturbed. Because of this, pain occurs, which spreads from the back of the head to the neck. Often this is accompanied by severe tightness of the muscles, especially in the morning.
- Injuries to the occipital part of the head and neck. After severe bruises, tissue swelling and vascular compression are observed. This is accompanied by a headache and a feeling of fullness in the skull. In severe injuries, dizziness, vomiting, confusion and fainting also occur.
In the temples
Pressing pains in the head and temples are most often a sign of migraine. The pain syndrome is paroxysmal in nature. At first, a person feels sleepy, he has visual disturbances: flickering of colored zigzags and circles in front of his eyes. The patient becomes extremely sensitive to sounds and smells. Such symptoms indicate an approaching migraine attack. Then there is excruciating pressing pain in the head. It is one-sided. The attack lasts from several minutes to several hours.
Pressing pains in the head and temples can be associated with hunger. This feeling is often experienced by people who follow strict diets. With insufficient nutrition, a deficiency of glucose is formed in the body. This leads to compressive pain in the temples. Unpleasant sensations usually disappear after eating.
Forehead squeeze
A pressing headache in the forehead is most often infectious and toxic. It can be caused by the following diseases and conditions:
- Sinusitis. Inflammation of the frontal sinuses causes severe pain. An unpleasant sensation of bursting in the superciliary region appears. Pain radiates to the eye region. Sinusitis usually occurs as a complication of colds. This pathology is accompanied by nasal congestion and fever.
- SARS and the flu. With viral colds, the superciliary region swells. Swollen tissues press on the vessels. This causes pain in the forehead. Often such a symptom occurs at the very beginning of the disease, when there are still no pronounced manifestations of the common cold.
- Hypothermia. If a person is in the cold for a long time without a headgear, then he may have compressive pain in the forehead. This is caused by spasm of blood vessels from the cold. The pain syndrome quickly disappears after warming.
The cause of pain in the forehead can also be increased arterial or intracranial pressure. In this case, the patient feels dizzy, nauseous, weak. With high blood pressure, there is a rapid heartbeat and flickering of black dots in the field of view. The pain syndrome is bursting.
Eye pressure
Often patients complain that they have pain in the head and presses on the eyes. Most often this is due to severe overwork of the organ of vision. In this case, pressure is felt from the inside on the eyeballs and bursting in the forehead. This condition can occur after a long work at the computer or doing needlework. In such cases, you need to give your eyes a rest, usually after this the pain disappears.
Similar pains can occur with improper selection of glasses. If the distance between the centers of the lenses does not correspond to the gap between the pupils, then a headache and a feeling of pressure on the eyes from the inside can occur.
However, there are also dangerous causes of pressing pain in the head and eyes. Such a symptom may be a sign of meningitis. This is a serious infectious disease, accompanied by inflammation of the meninges. Pain syndrome with meningitis is extremely pronounced. The patient's temperature rises sharply and his health worsens. Photophobia, nausea, confusion, weakness are observed.
A headache and a feeling of pressure in the eyes can be one of the early signs of glaucoma. The leading symptom of the disease is pain in the eyeballs and a deterioration in lateral vision. Headache is secondary. Pathology is accompanied by an increase in intraocular pressure and, without treatment, can lead to loss of vision.
Diagnostics
There are many causes of a compressive headache. If such symptoms appear, it is necessary to consult a therapist or a neurologist. To establish the etiology of pain, the doctor may prescribe the following examinations:
- blood test for biochemical parameters;
- MRI of the head;
- electroencephalogram;
- duplex scanning of vessels of the neck and head;
- fundus examination;
- spinal puncture for the study of cerebrospinal fluid;
- blood pressure measurement.
Treatment
The treatment of a compressive pain syndrome depends on its cause. As symptomatic therapy, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs of a non-steroidal structure are used:
- "Analgin."
- Pentalgin.
- Ketanov.
- Ibuprofen
- Nise.
- "Spazmalgin."
However, such drugs do not help to relieve pain in all cases. For example, with increased intracranial pressure, the patient's condition does not improve after taking painkillers. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo a course of therapy aimed at eliminating the cause of the pain syndrome. The choice of treatment method depends on the type of pathology. The most commonly used groups of drugs are:
- Antispasmodics. They are used for pain caused by neck muscle tension and vasoconstriction.
- Diuretics. They are prescribed for intracranial hypertension. They remove fluid from the body and reduce cerebrospinal fluid pressure.
- Antihypertensive drugs. These drugs are indicated for pain associated with high blood pressure.
- Sedatives and antidepressants. They help relieve pain in stressful situations.
- Antibiotics and antiviral drugs. These drugs are effective for pain of an infectious toxic etiology.
- Iron preparations. Such drugs are prescribed for pain of anemic origin.
- Triptans. These medicines are used for migraines, as well as trigeminal neuralgia. They stimulate the production of a special analgesic protein.
Non-pharmacological treatment methods are also used. With cervical osteochondrosis and tension pain, massage sessions, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises, manual therapy are indicated. If pain is associated with frequent stress and emotional instability, then patients are recommended to do yoga classes and attend psychotherapeutic sessions.
Prevention
How to prevent an attack of pressing pain in the head? To do this, you must adhere to the following recommendations of doctors:
- stop drinking alcohol and smoking;
- avoid staying in stuffy and smoky rooms;
- take daily walks in the fresh air;
- choose a comfortable pillow for sleeping;
- reduce the intake of foods rich in carbohydrates and harmful lipids;
- sleep at least 8-9 hours a day;
- avoid overwork of the eyes;
- in the winter-autumn period, take vitamin complexes.
These rules must be observed constantly, and not only during the period of exacerbation of pain. If the feeling of compression in the head is associated with chronic pathologies, then such patients need to regularly visit a doctor and monitor their blood pressure.