Headache: causes and treatment methods

Any pain in the back of the head, prolonged, sudden, severe, gives the person discomfort. The causes of this phenomenon must be sought in pathologies associated with important body systems. The back of the head hurts both young people and the older generation. To eliminate unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to establish the cause and choose an effective treatment. This is described in the article.

Causes

The back of the head hurts due to illness and lifestyle. Common causes that are not dependent on chronic ailments include the following factors:

1. Sedentary work. People who spend a long time in the same position have severe pain. Many do not maintain proper posture, which loads the neck. Often such ailments appear in drivers, programmers, accountants.
2. Stress, nervous tension, depression, neurosis. Headaches from stress usually appear in people after 30 years. In women, the back of the head hurts more often than in men.
3. Strong physical exertion, leading to muscle strain. It arises from hard work, as well as after playing sports.
4. Great mental stress. Often the back of the head hurts schoolchildren and students during exams. Discomfort is also manifested among employees of intellectual work, for example, during the preparation of an important project.
5. Violation of diet, the inclusion of trans fats, muffins in the diet.
6. Drinking alcohol in large quantities, as well as smoking, drug addiction.
7. Change of residence. With a sharp change in climate, the body is restructuring, there is a metabolic disorder, which leads to discomfort.

If the back of your head hurts, what is the pressure? Hypertension usually leads to this. The head often suffers from a cold. In women, pain appears due to an uncomfortable hairstyle, heavy hair collected in a bun on the back of the head. Discomfort appears as a result of injury. For example, the back of the head usually hurts after an impact. For any reason, timely treatment is necessary to prevent deterioration.

Where is it felt?

How is the pain manifested? Often people have a pulsation, oppressive sensations, backache of the head and neck. Discomfort occurs not only at the back of the head, but can also go to other parts:

• temporal;
• frontal, supraorbital arches;
• jaw
• upper back
• back of the neck;
• face skin, ears.

Lumbago appear on the left and right side of the head, pain can be in the eyeballs. Discomfort differs depending on the type of disease.

Myogelosis

Disruption of blood circulation in the muscles of the neck leads to seals. With this ailment, muscle stiffness, occipital pain, discomfort in the shoulders, dizziness appear.

Myogelosis develops with improper posture, an uncomfortable sitting position. Often, an ailment occurs due to a person being in a draft. At the same time, the back of the head usually hurts when you turn your head.

Myositis

Discomfort occurs due to inflammation of the cervical muscles. With a turn, tilting the head, the pain becomes stronger. Moreover, it occurs even between the shoulder blades, in the shoulder girdle.

Unpleasant sensations are present only in one part of the head, left or right. Causes of cervical myositis include hypothermia, sedentary work. Specialists identify an ailment after injuries of the neck, upper back.

Neuralgia

With this disease, many people have a sore neck every day. In this case, the pain is usually paroxysmal. With a tilt, a turn of the head, a cross is felt in the neck, lower jaw and upper back.

People feel severe pain, burning in the back of the head, usually try to move less. Often with neuralgia, even the scalp is difficult to touch. The pain appears when sneezing, coughing. Along with this, osteochondrosis, arthrosis of the intervertebral cartilage can develop.

Migraine

Sharp pain can be on the back of the head, temple, eyebrows. Other unpleasant symptoms include:

• thread;
• darkening in the eyes;
• noise in ears;
• hearing impairment;
• dizziness;
• loss of orientation.

Migraine develops from the effects of cartilage on the artery of the spinal column. This is taken into account when making the diagnosis: with pressure on the artery in the first cervical vertebra, the pain increases.

Cervical spondylosis

This disease appears during the degeneration of connective tissue into bone in the discs of the spine. If untreated, the disease develops, which is why bone growths lead to stiffness of head movements.

In addition to pain in the back of the head, pain appears in the shoulders and neck. Discomfort occurs when bending, turning the head. It does not disappear in a static position. Patients suffer from insomnia. The disease is often observed in people with a sedentary lifestyle, as well as after 50 years.

Osteochondrosis

Does the right part of the nape constantly hurt or the left, neck, temporal part? This may indicate cervical osteochondrosis. Even with an ailment, additional symptoms may appear:

• nausea;
• dizziness;
• poor coordination;
• memory impairment;
• dysgraphia;
• decreased vision and hearing.

With a sharp throwing of the head back, a person may fall and lose the function of movement for some period. Osteochondrosis often appears with migraine. Shooting pain is added to these symptoms.

Hypertension

If the back of your head hurts, what is the pressure? His jumps lead to throbbing pain. Patients have a feeling of fullness, heaviness of the head. It appears at high pressure.

With hypertension, dizziness, nausea, and palpitations are observed. Pain manifests itself in the morning. Relief comes unexpectedly after vomiting.

Vascular stenosis

Acute pain appears due to arterial spasm. Symptoms are observed during movement and appear less during rest. The reason is heavy loads. People feel "goosebumps" on the back of the head. With narrowing of the vessels, pulsating pain is observed, which can be from the back of the head to the forehead.

With the appearance of dull pain, the venous outflow from the head is complicated. Sensations increase with lowering of the head, coughing. Vascular pain occurs with physical strain.

Increased intracranial pressure

Pressing pain can be from intracranial pressure. There may be nausea, eye pain. Discomfort is amplified with bright light, loud sounds.

The cause may be an incorrectly formed bite in the child, which persists even before adulthood. Dull pains spread to ears, crown. By evening, they intensify. The correction of the bite is done by the orthodontist.

What to do if the back of the head hurts? First you need to see a doctor who will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Examination, computed tomography, x-ray, analysis can make a diagnosis. Only then are appropriate treatment measures determined.

Medicines

It will be possible to remove stressful pain after undergoing a course of therapy that restores nervous balance. In especially difficult situations, the doctor prescribes the administration of antidepressants, tranquilizers. But it is important to eliminate the cause of stress - to switch to another job, to establish relationships with relatives.

If pain manifests itself with hypertension, doctors advise taking drugs that can normalize blood pressure. With vascular stenosis, it is advisable to take statins, vasodilators. Pain medications may be prescribed. If the back of the head hurts, tablets should be taken after consulting a doctor. "Analgin", "Baralgin", "Citramon" should be taken only with a single pain. Means have an analgesic effect, do not relieve the source of pain.

Physiotherapy

If the back of the head hurts, treatment can be performed with physiotherapeutic procedures. They are used for neuralgia, spondylosis, myogelosis, osteochondrosis, vasoconstriction. Physiotherapy consists of:

• ultrasound;
• laser therapy;
• electrophoresis;
• magnetotherapy.

The number of procedures is determined by the course of the disease, the characteristics of the patient. Before performing sessions, you should consult with a specialist.

Massage and manual therapy

These methods are effective for cervical osteochondrosis, stress, myogelosis, neuralgia. The course may include 5 sessions or more. It is preferable to perform the procedure every 2-3 months. Although only a specialist is able to determine which points can be influenced to facilitate, nevertheless self-massage can be carried out independently: rub the neck, back of the head.

Manual therapy is preferable to be carried out by a specialist who will eliminate acute symptoms, restore the condition in several procedures. During the sessions, anti-inflammatory ointments and creams can be used, if this is prescribed by a doctor. Do not massage if the back of the head hurts due to hypertension or spondylosis, or if there is a high fever or inflammation. If the massage brings discomfort, you must finish the procedure.

Physiotherapy

To unload the neck muscles that lead to tension, it is advisable to carry out a set of therapeutic exercises. When it affects the ligamentous apparatus of the neck, muscles of the shoulder girdle. Types of exercises are best used on the advice of a doctor.

If after the procedures a deterioration is felt, discomfort is noted, then the load should be reduced. If necessary, choose another complex or cancel classes.

ethnoscience

The use of effective drugs should be performed with medical treatment. It is important to follow the basic principle - do no harm. Improve the condition will allow airing, applying a hot compress to the back of the head. If intracranial pressure appears during pain, then you should rest in a dark room. The following funds are in demand:

1. Compresses You need to chop onions, grate horseradish, wrap them with gauze and can be applied to the back of the head. This relieves pain, overwork. They relieve the discomfort for a period of cabbage or grape leaf, which must be attached to the neck. If cervical migraine is detected, lemon peel is used. It must be kneaded and applied to the back of the head.
2. Soothing teas. They have primrose, linden, meadowsweet, sage, mint, lemon balm. Only 1 plant or mixture is used. Useful green tea with ginger. This drink restores pressure, has an antioxidant effect.
3. Aromatherapy It is effective for stress, osteochondrosis, overwork. Esters of fir, green tea, peppermint are used. It is necessary to drip a few drops on the sachet and distribute the pads throughout the room. Perform the procedure 1 time per day.

Prevention

To avoid headaches on the back of the head, it is necessary to adjust the lifestyle. If health deteriorates from sedentary work that cannot be changed, a person needs to do physical exercises every 2-3 hours. There will be enough turns, tilting the head, warming up the shoulder girdle. Activities improve blood circulation, prevent muscle stasis.

With frequent headaches, alcohol and smoking should be excluded. Do not use chocolate, soda, coffee. The menu should include oily sea fish. It has omega-3 acids, which strengthen blood vessels, and also prevent inflammation.

With vitamin deficiency, doctors advise taking vitamin-mineral complexes. Vitamins from natural products are perfectly absorbed, so you need a balanced diet.

If there are regular physical exertion, then a person will be able to eliminate headaches. The main thing is that they be feasible. Hiking, cycling, and tennis are useful. Effectively swimming. In the pool, they not only perform exercises to strengthen the neck muscles, but also eliminate stress and negative moments of the working day.

Recommendations

There are some simple tips that can improve a person’s condition:

1. If even small passing pains have appeared, it is necessary to strengthen health control: do not get cold, do not be in the drafts, do gymnastics in the morning, walk every day in the fresh air.
2. When working at a computer, you need to take breaks of 10-15 minutes every hour, get up, warm up. Movements prevent muscle numbness and stagnation of blood. The height of the chair must be adjusted so that you look directly at the monitor.
3. With hypertension, it is necessary to measure pressure 2-3 times a day. It should not be allowed to rise to higher numbers, but antihypertensive drugs should be taken only with the appointment of a specialist.
4. It is important to avoid stress and try to take everything more calmly. Sedatives are helpful, but consult a doctor before choosing them.
5. Useful orthopedic pillow. Sleep on such a product relaxes the muscles on the back of the head.

Thus, the back of the head can be ill for various reasons. You need to be more attentive to your health and timely treat the ailments that lead to this condition.