Headache is a common occurrence in people. It is also called cephalalgia. Usually a person takes painkillers and does not consider it necessary to seek help from a doctor. But it is worth noting that there are many causes of pain in the upper part of the head, and not all of them are harmless. Therefore, if such discomfort happens often, consulting a doctor will not hurt. It is worth considering questions about why the upper part of the head and temples hurt.
Why can the top of my head hurt?
The parietal part of the head can hurt due to many reasons. Sometimes this symptom is present as an independent phenomenon or is accompanied by a number of other signs. Even if there are no other symptoms besides headache, you should not ignore this condition, still seek medical help. Information will be given by the nature of the manifestation of pain, its duration, etc.
Does the upper head hurt? Causes:
- An acute condition when attacks of pain occur suddenly and are not regular. They happen with injuries, infections, amid stress, this condition causes a stroke or rupture of the aneurysm.
- The chronic condition is characterized by regular headaches, which sometimes do not go away even after taking the medicine. This happens due to a tumor in the brain, constant stress, frequent lack of sleep, or due to osteochondrosis.
- If the pain appears in periods, for example, once every few days or weeks, and at the same time is easily relieved by analgesics, this may indicate an IRR, blood pressure disorders, neuralgia or female menopause.
- Recurrent syndrome. It manifests itself in hypertension, cluster pain, VVD or tumor process.
An experienced doctor will already be able to guess from the clinical manifestations the cause of the vertex pain, but additional studies will be needed to clarify the diagnosis.
Causes of headache and ways to eliminate them
If the upper part of the head hurts and presses, one can suspect the following reasons: injuries, migraines, hypertension, infectious and inflammatory processes, etc. All this will be described in more detail below.
Head injuries
Post-traumatic headache can bother a person for the next two months. This condition may be due to concussion. The pain in this case is dull and pulling. Sometimes it pulsates.
Additional symptoms of cephalgia are:
- nausea and poor appetite;
- inconsistent blood pressure;
- weakness and craving for sleep;
- change of mood.
Ways to get rid of pain:
- bed rest and examination by a doctor;
- analgesics and nootropics;
- sedatives.
Migraine
This disease can be divided into different types:
- Vasomotor migraine - pain occurs in the parietal region or on one side, for example, the left upper part of the head hurts. The cause is vascular changes in the brain.
- Neuralgic migraine - temples and upper head hurt. The reasons are weather changes, stress, overvoltage and lack of sleep. Sometimes a person complains of nausea, decreased vision and impaired coordination of movements.
- Migraine with aura is accompanied by a number of symptoms, so this condition is called a syndrome. A person feels dry mouth, loss of appetite, nausea, dizziness, decreased vision, etc.
Hypertension
The most common cause of headache. It may be present on the top of the head, but more often gives to the back of the head, occurs in the morning and intensifies throughout the day. The main symptom of hypertension is high blood pressure, which is the cause of the headache. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a physician.
Infectious and inflammatory processes
The upper right part of the head or the top of the head can get sick against the background of infections such as flu, tonsillitis, meningitis or encephalitis. Pain may increase depending on the degree of intoxication of the body. In addition, against the background of the inflammatory process, other symptoms also arise, such as fever, general weakness, and respiratory manifestations.
Before treatment, a thorough diagnosis is carried out.
Stress
From the nervous and mental stress, the upper part of the head often hurts. Especially susceptible to this condition are women after 30 years of age who are in constant emotional stress. In this case, it will be possible to get rid of the headache after normalizing the situation.
Osteochondrosis
If the upper part of the spinal column is affected, then blood circulation is disturbed, first in the cervical region, and then in the brain. Due to this, a radicular pathology arises - neuralgia, when the upper part of the head is very sore. Pain can be given to the temples, nape, cheekbones, shoulders and even to the shoulder blades. As concomitant symptoms, there are such signs of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Loss of sensation in the upper limbs and in the back of the head.
- Frequent dizziness.
- Doubling in the eyes.
- Weak muscle tone of the cervical spine.
- The head and upper part of the skull may hurt.
The treatment is supposed to be comprehensive. First of all, the manifestations of osteochondrosis, including headache, are eliminated.
Tumors
Often the culprits of headaches are benign or malignant tumors located in the brain. These circumstances cannot be eliminated with pills or improvised treatments; serious therapy will be required under the supervision of the attending physician.
The pain in the presence of a tumor will be constant and intense. Painkillers in this case do not help. The pain intensifies in the morning or after physical activity.
Among other things, there are other symptoms:
- Nausea, often turning into vomiting.
- Decreased vision or hearing.
- Poor coordination of movement.
- Memory impairment.
- Swings in the mood.
- Drowsiness and lethargy.
Symptoms that may accompany a topache headache
Often, a headache is accompanied by additional symptoms that may indicate a specific disease. Some of them can pose a significant threat to health, so you should immediately seek medical help. Additional symptoms for headaches may include:
- Sudden visual impairment.
- Irregular blood pressure.
- Headache does not stop even after taking painkillers.
- An increase in body temperature against the background of headaches.
- Drying in the throat and nausea accompanying pain in the upper part of the head.
Survey methods
You should contact a specialist if your head hurts in the area of the upper part of the head constantly. Independently, even the most qualified doctor will not be able to determine the cause of the pain, so the patient is sent for examination.
Fortunately, at present, thanks to innovations in the field of medicine, it is not difficult to identify the cause of this condition. The most informative method is MRI. Using this apparatus, the doctor can examine in detail the brain of a sick person and determine the pathological condition.
But in case of circulatory disturbance, CT will have to be performed. The vascular state is determined by the method of MRA (magnetic resonance angiography).
To detect the presence of infection, a blood test must be taken. If, in addition to the fact that the upper part of the head hurts, vision has also decreased, an optometrist will be required. He will examine the fundus and identify possible violations.
Treatment principles
If the head and upper part of the skull are sore, treatment will be prescribed only after a full examination of the patient. This must be done, especially if the pain bothers often or regularly.
Drinking painkillers on their own is not prohibited, but if the headache is one-time, with repeated discomfort in the head, the tablets can even do harm. If the problem is minor, you can apply the Zvezdochka balm. He temporarily relieves manifestations of a headache.
When purchasing any medicine in a pharmacy, pre-read the instructions for it. This is especially true for children. Remember that for small children, many medicines may be contraindicated.
How to treat a headache?
Such treatment is provided for headaches that are not associated with serious pathologies:
- Analgesics. They will help to get rid of pain for a while, but they will not eradicate the cause. It is also worth remembering that the pills can be addictive, and each time the pain will intensify, and more drugs will be needed.
- For moderate pain, you should not take pills, it is enough to take a walk in the fresh air, to make an alternating compress - hot and cold. Usually these measures help if the head is sick from overwork or nervous tension. Do not smoke and drink alcohol at this time, they will only aggravate the situation.
- Acupuncture or acupressure can also help with one-time headaches. It is advisable to contact a specialist who knows what points to act on.
- Head massage helps with minor pains and migraines. The person relaxes and the discomfort goes away.
- Music therapy. It is better to include classical or ethnic music. But not all types of headaches make extraneous noise, for example, with migraines it is better to abandon this venture.
- The introduction of the drug "Botox". If you inject this agent intramuscularly, a lasting result will be created that will eliminate tension and cramping in the head.
All these methods can be effective if the pain arose as a result of stress, tension, overwork, etc.
Drug therapy
To know which drugs help with pain in the top of your head, you should familiarize yourself with this list:
- "Citramon", "Askofen" are shown if there is a decrease in pressure.
- "Pharmadipine", "Captopril" - these drugs are indicated with increasing pressure.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes are indicated for migraines.
- "Sedalgin" is prescribed for cluster pain.
- "Spazmalgon", "Ibuprofen", "Nurofen" are painkillers that are recommended for use with paroxysmal headaches. After this, the patient should lie down.
- Walking in the fresh air is recommended for neurosis, depression or after stress. Such people are often prescribed antidepressants, psychotherapy courses and relaxing massage.
All medicines are recommended to be taken after consultation with a doctor.
Alternative therapy for headache relief
Of folk recipes, the following have proven themselves:
- The use of cabbage leaf. This method has been tested for years. The sheet is superimposed on the top of the head and left for 30 minutes.
- Dip your feet in a bowl of hot water, for greater efficiency, the head is wrapped in a cloth dampened with cold water.
- If the upper part of the head hurts, prepare soothing teas based on herbs such as mint, valerian, marjoram.
- Aromatherapy will be useful for migraines, the aromas of herbs such as sage, mint, marjoram or lavender can temporarily relieve headaches.
- Try wearing amber beads or a bracelet, they help with headaches.
- Oddly enough, applying a mask of fresh cucumber to your face, you help yourself get rid of headaches.
- The use of a cold compress on the head reduces soreness in it.
Prevention
To prevent the appearance of pain in the upper part of the head, the following preventive measures are necessary:
- No need to sit in one place, be active, exercise and walk.
- Reduce your consumption of coffee and alcohol, they increase blood pressure, the most useful and safe drink is ordinary drinking water.
- The pain will not bother if a person includes foods rich in vitamin B2 in his diet. It is found in nuts, spinach, eggs and broccoli.
- Food should be balanced, if some products are not enough, then, therefore, there will be a shortage of the necessary trace elements. It is also necessary to avoid too fatty foods, fried, spicy and salty foods. Always in the diet should be fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals and dairy products.
- Lack of sleep can cause headaches, so you need to get enough sleep, and this is an average of 7-8 hours of night sleep. Before you go to bed, ventilate the room, fresh air helps to quickly fall asleep.
- Do not allow stress in your life, do not overwork. Remember about a good rest, which perfectly tunes for the upcoming work. Often the pain in the crown occurs due to overstrain, after a good rest, it usually goes away.
- You should abandon bad habits.
When the upper part of the head hurts, interest in life disappears. I want to do everything possible and impossible to eliminate the discomfort. Early diagnosis will help to start timely therapy, so do not delay the visit to the doctor.