People who suffer from chronic headaches sometimes start to feel a burning sensation in their head. And even one who has never suffered from them can feel it. The condition may alert you to a serious illness. But do not rush to conclusions - sometimes this is just a signal that you should take a break from work and daily affairs for at least some time. This article discusses the symptoms, causes of burning in the head and the treatment of this unpleasant condition.
Symptoms
Burning pain in the head can occur in any part of it. It appears in the frontal part, temporal, occipital. Sometimes it gives to the shoulders and back. In addition to the main symptoms, sometimes additional ones are present:
- Nausea.
- Dizziness.
- Weakness.
- Strong burning in temples.
- Tachycardia.
Often a person himself cannot decide where exactly is the source of pain, because it spreads throughout the body. May throw in heat. In addition, many are familiar with the feeling of hot coals in the head. Then redness appears in the eyes.
Causes
The causes of burning in the crown of the head can be many. If these pains are chronic, contact the appropriate specialist. But if this happened recently, then you can try to identify the root of the problem. The most common causes of burning in the head area:
- Osteochondrosis. When salts accumulate in the neck and shoulders, nerve endings are impaired and pain appears. If a person’s work is associated with long sitting, it can be assumed that this symptom arose due to osteochondrosis. In 90% of cases, the burning problem lies in it. But it is important to find a professional doctor who is highly specialized in this area. In addition to a variety of massages and procedures, a good doctor will prescribe light exercises to solve the problem.
- Hormonal disorders. They can cause such headaches in women. And no matter how old she is. Although most often this process is observed during menopause. Therefore, you need to be attentive to your body. Perhaps someone is taking hormone-based medications. In this case, you should consult a doctor so that he adjusts the dose or prescribes another drug.
- Stress. Sometimes burning in the head hides chronic fatigue and intense emotional stress. All this arises due to the fact that a person does not give himself time to relax. The fact is that stress leads to disruption of the nervous system. And she, in turn, ceases to perform its functions correctly. As a result, the head suffers, the vessels narrow, since a sufficient amount of oxygen does not enter the brain. For treatment, it is important to pay special attention to rest. At the end of the day, rest for at least an hour without using electronic devices. If this does not help, then you should look for another reason. When a burning sensation in the head has already bothered more than once, a too busy schedule of the day can be an additional cause of pain.
- Lifestyle in general. This includes eating junk food, smoking and drinking alcohol frequently. It is worth abandoning bad habits. Next, you need to visit a doctor.
- Burning of the scalp most often occurs for cosmetic reasons. For example, hair coloring, skin sensitivity to skin care products or epidermal diseases. Also, the cause may be high blood pressure.
Burning in the head: tests
To determine the disease that causes pain in the head, various tests are recommended. It is necessary to go through all the studies that were prescribed by the doctor. Only in this way can serious diseases be excluded. So, what studies are often prescribed for a patient with a burning head?
- Inspection by the therapist. General blood tests, as well as urine tests, are required.
- X-ray of the skull. It is made in order to determine the injury or tumor.
- Consultation with an optometrist.
- Echoencephalography. This is an ultrasound scan of the cranium. It is done in order to detect intracranial pressure, as well as circulatory disorders.
- Electroencephalogram. It allows you to determine the presence of sympatho-adrenal paroxysm.
- MRI of the head. This study determines a brain tumor and vascular condition.
Treatment
Since cervical osteochondrosis is the main cause of burning in the head, it is first necessary to exclude this disease. It can be determined by the following signs:
- Fast fatiguability.
- Chronic fatigue.
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
If such symptoms are present, then you must immediately act. But this does not mean that you can engage in self-treatment. It is very dangerous in this situation. You need to find a good doctor.
If the reason is in everyday stress, then you definitely need to find time to relax. With constant pain, it is better not to look for the cause, but simply consult a specialist. In such situations, sedatives are sometimes prescribed. But if the process is too running, then you will need antidepressants or a trip to a psychologist.
If the cause is a hormonal disorder, then the endocrinologist will be able to help you choose the right treatment.
Occipital headaches
Such symptoms often occur in older people, especially in the morning or in bad weather. The cause of burning in the occipital part of the head can be high blood pressure. In such situations, it is recommended to consult a neurologist.
In rare cases, even young people have similar symptoms. The cause of this may be degeneration of the intervertebral discs of the spine. This is a pretty serious condition. The help of a doctor is needed.
Hypertension
You should also study the cause of high blood pressure if it causes a burning sensation in the head. After all, this is a frequent occurrence not only among mature, but also among young people. In such situations, pressure must be measured. If the reason for the burning sensation in the head really lies in this, then you can try to reduce the pressure with the help of folk remedies. If they were ineffective, then you can not do without drugs. However, when choosing a medicine, you need to consult a doctor. With the wrong choice of drug, the situation can only get worse.
Pain relief
You need to know how to relieve the pain of burning in the head. For example, you can try to take painkillers. If you are sure that the cause is osteochondrosis, then you can well warm up a certain area of the head (where there is a burning sensation). The point is to improve blood circulation and dilate blood vessels. However, warming up is not the safest method, it should be used with caution. The same goes for high blood pressure. With hypertension, vessels that need to be expanded by taking drugs are similarly narrowed.
Panic attack
What it is? A panic attack is an attack that can last indefinitely. It is hardly appropriate to call a disease. This is just an emotional state. It can be corrected with the help of a professional psychologist. Here are the main symptoms:
- Thoughts of suicide or fear of death.
- A feeling of suffocation or a lump in the throat.
- Burning headaches.
- Tachycardia.
- Pressure increase.
- Chills.
Possible diseases
What causes a burning sensation in the head? If we are talking about serious diseases, then first of all, Binswanger's disease can be noted. When burning in the head due to this disease, vasoconstriction occurs. White matter is also affected. In a sick person, the pressure decreases at night or rises sharply. The first sign of this disease is insomnia. The patient wakes up very often at night. Also among the symptoms, memory impairment, impaired gait, and urination disorders are worth noting. It is noteworthy that this disease primarily reveals a burning sensation in the head. To determine such a disease, you need to monitor your behavior for some time and consult a professional at the right time.
Burning in the parietal part of the head
Consider another case. Burning pain in the parietal part of the head is the most common. This pain spreads throughout the face: ears, eyes, and so on. It is noteworthy that it can increase if there is a light source and strong noise. The reasons for its appearance are as follows:
- Bad habits (smoking, excessive drinking, malnutrition and so on).
- Bad weather.
- Stress.
- Long sitting work.
Burning in this area, as a rule, appears several times a week. First of all, it is worth trying a massage that will greatly facilitate burning. If it does not help, then you will have to resort to medicines. Cold compresses on the back of the head are also effective. However, with constant attacks, you should definitely visit a doctor (especially if nausea and vomiting appear along with headaches).
Top of the head
Often a burning sensation in the crown of the head appears unexpectedly. The causes are difficult to identify without additional symptoms. Most often this happens after physical trauma, so it’s worth doing an MRI of the brain. Although sometimes people get similar pain due to emotional stress and stress.
Migraine
Also, a migraine may be the cause of burning in the parietal part of the head, the exact causes of which are still unknown. It can be both acquired and hereditary. For example, various foods can cause it. You need to monitor the diet and understand whether it affects the condition of the head. Although the signs of migraine are not easy to identify because of its diversity, a classified doctor can help in this case as well. Migraine should be treated with a gentle massage and exercise. But before massaging certain parts of the body and doing exercises, it is important to know the exact cause, so as not to harm yourself even more.
Total
So, we examined the causes of scalp burning and treatment. To summarize this article, we can come to certain conclusions. When burning in the head, go to the doctor when:
- Burning is accompanied by additional symptoms. This is nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, and so on.
- These symptoms last more than one week.
- Medications do not help fix the problem for a long time.
- There was a head injury. Probably, a part of the brain is seriously damaged and more research is required.
The causes of burning in the head can be significant. Tracking data and other symptoms, it is definitely worth a visit to the doctor to relieve discomfort and constant burning in the head.