Everyone has experienced headaches (cephalalgia). The cause of the occurrence can be absolutely anything: from serious disturbances in the functioning of the body to minor ones. But it is worth noting that painful pulsation in the head is a “bell” in order to go for a diagnosis.
This type of pain may indicate serious problems.
The main causes of cephalalgia
Acute pain in the head and throbbing prevents a person from living a normal life and doing business. If pain appears once, this does not necessarily indicate the presence of dysfunction in the body. In cases where a person experiences cephalalgia more and more often, and the pain lasts longer and longer, there really is a problem in the body. It needs to be eliminated, and only a specialist can handle it.
Doctors identify a number of main reasons that cause this symptom, namely:
- VSD (vegetative-vascular dystonia);
- atherosclerosis;
- sinusitis, sinusitis;
- migraine;
- eye diseases;
- hematomas;
- tumors;
- neuralgia;
- stress.
Vegetovascular dystonia
Pulsating pain is called background pain. It occurs due to a decrease in the tone of cerebral vessels, stagnation of blood, and spasms of the arteries. The difference between pain that appears due to VSD is that “jolts” do not depend on the person’s pulse.
Atherosclerosis
If a patient has problems with the vascular system, he begins to suffer from pulsation in the temporal and occipital areas of the head. But the zones can change, and the sensations can become oppressive over time.
Sinusitis, sinusitis
The reason lies in the cold you suffered, namely its complications. In order not to encounter cephalalgia, it is imperative to cure all viral and infectious diseases. The same applies to a runny nose.
Migraine
Migraine is manifested by a pulsation, which patients describe as if it were pounding right under the skin, and the pain is localized in one part of the head at the top.
Scientists have not yet proven the definitive causes of such pain, and the exact forms of manifestation of the disease have not yet been determined.
But still, there are several possible causes of migraine development, namely:
- food products (several types of cheeses and sausages);
- weather sensitivity;
- smells of ammonia, ammonia, perfume;
- serious physical activity;
- emotional outburst;
- uncomfortable body position for a long time.
A migraine can torment a person for more than one day. There are cases when the pain lasts 3 days. Most often, cephalalgia caused by this problem manifests itself in unbearably severe pain, and can go away after a few hours. Doctors note the fact that females suffer more from this.
At the end of a migraine attack, a person notes that he has severe weakness and a tendency to sleep.
Eye diseases
The following reasons that can provoke pulsation are eye diseases. A large number of people turn to specialists with complaints such as blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, photophobia, and acute pain radiating to the eye. A competent doctor will immediately determine that these are symptoms of angle-closure glaucoma - high intraocular pressure.
Cephalgia can develop due to tension in the optic nerve, which occurs due to incorrectly selected diopters of glasses or lenses. But in such cases, dizziness also appears.
Hematomas, tumors
Pulsating pain of a strong nature, which is clearly localized in one of the areas of the head, may indicate the presence of damage or a neoplasm. Also in this case, it is worth noting the presence of nausea and vomiting.
If such symptoms are noticed, you must quickly contact a specialist to diagnose a tumor or other problem and begin to treat it.
Stress
All overwork and emotional turmoil can result in severe headaches. Constant nervous tension and stress can create a “fellow traveler” for you for the whole day, namely cephalgia.
Neuralgia
Another common reason why such unpleasant sensations occur in the temple and head area. Dental problems, trigeminal neuralgia - all this provokes pain.
Other causes of cephalalgia
Osteochondrosis and a number of other problems associated with the cervical spine can provoke throbbing pain.
In winter, pulsation in the back of the head often occurs. This is explained by hypothermia and a sharp narrowing of blood vessels.
Lack of normal rest, disruption of sleep quality and routine can cause headaches.
Bad habits are also included in this list of “provocateurs”. They not only harm health, but can also cause discomfort to a person in the form of cephalgia. If a person often drank coffee and decided to abruptly stop, this can also provoke this problem, since the blood vessels are not able to return to normal so quickly.
Not everyone knows, but what we eat can also cause throbbing in our temples. These products include: chicken liver, cheeses, sausages, bacon, nuts, yogurt.
Why does my head hurt after sleep?
A morning headache brings discomfort throughout the day. Night sleep is the time when, after a hard day, our body restores strength. But from time to time awakening is overshadowed by unpleasant sensations.
The reason for such an uncomfortable awakening may be:
- Uncomfortable sleeping position.
- Incorrectly chosen pillow or mattress. Ignoring this moment leads to morning pain throughout the body, including the head.
- When the condition of blood vessels deteriorates, blood pressure is disturbed, which affects the quality of our sleep. Then feeling unwell becomes frequent.
- Head injuries can also contribute to headaches in the morning. It can occur a week or a month after the injury.
- Sinusitis makes breathing difficult, which causes a headache when waking up.
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a displacement of the spine in the cervical region. With this disease, the supply of oxygen to the brain is disrupted.
Cephalgia in children
Pulsating discomfort in a child that is not accompanied by fever, cough and runny nose should alert parents. In such cases, it is important to consult a doctor. Such manifestations may indicate problems with the child’s health.
The phenomenon can be triggered by:
- disease of the vascular system;
- neuralgia;
- migraine;
- injury;
- emotional condition;
- poor nutrition;
- the presence of provoking external factors.
Cephalgia and pregnancy
Most often, girls in this position suffer from migraines, and the illness appears from physical activity, food, lack of sleep, stress, and fatigue. There are also other reasons that cause throbbing pain in women in the position:
- VSD;
- blood pressure problems;
- problems with blood supply;
- voltage;
- disorders in the brain;
- sinus inflammation;
- glaucoma.
For pregnant women suffering from cephalalgia, there are recommendations to combat discomfort, namely:
- do a light massage;
- restful sleep;
- take a contrast shower.
Regarding pain relief with medications, in this case it is important to consult a specialist, since not all painkillers are approved for pregnant women.
Elderly age
The older a person is, the more often he suffers from throbbing pain in the head, and most often this is associated with pressure and changes in the cervical spine. But there are also a number of reasons that pose a danger to older people, and these include:
- presence of a tumor in the brain;
- presence of hematomas in the brain;
- trigeminal neuralgia;
- temporal arteritis;
- intoxication;
- presence of infectious diseases;
- stroke.
Pain in the head can also be a consequence of menopause in women, weather sensitivity, which occurs in any gender, and depression.
What if your head hurts in your temples?
Temporal headache is the most common type of headache.
Experts attribute the following to the primary reasons:
- neuralgia
- cluster pain
- overvoltage
- migraine
Secondary causes include:
- cerebral vascular damage
- taking medications
- head or neck injury
- non-vascular intracranial lesions
- HIV infection and AIDS
- hemostasis disorder
- pathology of the skull
- psychological illnesses
What to do if you have a headache in your temples? – If this happens for the first time, then you need to take an analgesic. If the pain persists after taking painkillers, you should consult a specialist. If you experience intense and frequently recurring pain in your temples, it is better to consult a therapist or neurologist. If the pain is a consequence of an injury, then you should make an appointment with a surgeon or traumatologist.
Causes of pain by nature and location
You can determine the cause of throbbing pain in the head by analyzing the place where the patient feels it. Sensations can move around the skull, but most often they appear in a specific part.
Pain in the back of the head
Pain in this part of the skull is characteristic of high blood pressure. It also manifests itself as a pressing character, becoming more pronounced if you turn and tilt your head. It is worth noting that such a sensation in the back of the head can warn of the development of a stroke.
But there are also such provoking factors that cause pain in the back of the head as diseases of the cervical spine, namely:
- scoliosis;
- osteochondrosis.
The pain disappears when the cause is eliminated, and with it the patient feels a relieved state in the shoulders and neck, cramps disappear, and sleep improves.
Pain on the left
Characteristic of migraine. Associated symptoms:
- visual impairment;
- disturbance of consciousness;
- dizziness;
- nausea;
- photophobia;
- loss of orientation.
Pain on the right
Pulsation of a jerking nature indicates trigeminal neuralgia. The pain affects the area of the eye, forehead, temple and jaw. In cases where the pain persists, you need to consult a doctor.
Discomfort in the temporal region
A number of diseases can manifest themselves in this way, for example:
- trigeminal neuralgia;
- migraine;
- increased blood pressure;
- intoxication;
- VSD.
Frontal region
Pain in the frontal part of the head is accompanied by convulsions, disturbances of consciousness and blurred vision. They may indicate increased intracranial pressure.
Also, pain in the forehead can be caused by sinusitis, respiratory infections and eye diseases. It may also be the result of the development of a malignant brain tumor.
Discomfort when moving your head
If unpleasant pulsating sensations in the head become more pronounced while moving the head, this may indicate diseases such as:
- neuritis;
- osteochondrosis;
- inflammation of the sinuses.
Symptoms typical for such cases are:
- nausea;
- prostration;
- dizziness;
- fever;
- partial paralysis
Patients with such complaints are promptly sent for hospitalization and treatment.
Pain and nausea
The cause of such changes in the body may be food poisoning. Throbbing in the head and nausea indicate changes in the brain or nervous disorders. The attack can also be triggered by head injuries.
Pulsation in the head without accompanying pain
The most common cause of such changes is disruption of the central nervous system or cardiovascular system.
Diagnostics
A neurologist is involved in determining the cause of pain. According to indications, the patient is referred for consultation to an otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, and other specialists. The doctor finds out when the symptom first appeared, how often it appeared, how it changed over time, and what manifestations it was accompanied by. Collects a life history, clarifies the presence of chronic diseases that could cause pain.
During the examination, it is sometimes possible to detect external changes, for example, lacrimation, redness and swelling of the face, but in most cases the physical examination is not very informative. To make a final diagnosis, the following are prescribed:
- Otorhinolaryngological examination.
Along with the standard techniques used during a general examination, the doctor conducts an examination using mirrors and special instruments. For sinusitis, rhinoscopy is indicative, confirming the presence of edema, hyperemia, serous or purulent discharge. Sinusoscopy requires expansion of the natural openings of the sinuses, so it is rarely performed for diagnostic purposes. - Ophthalmological examination
. Includes visometry, ophthalmoscopy, measurement of intraocular pressure, refraction studies, eye biomicroscopy, and other studies. Helps determine the nature of visual impairment, the preferred correction option, and the need for surgical intervention. - Neurological examination
. Involves assessing the symmetry of the palpebral fissures, pupils, facial features, examining the sense of smell, checking the integrity of the function of the facial muscles, and palpating the exit sites of the branches of the trigeminal nerve. The doctor examines movements, sensitivity, reflexes in the torso and limbs. Identifies pathological symptoms (for example, meningeal). - Radiography
. For sinusitis, radiography of the paranasal sinuses is indicated. The study reveals the accumulation of dense masses, and in a chronic process - deformation of the bone walls of the sinuses. To increase information content, it can be carried out with contrast. X-ray of the skull is required if a TBI is suspected. With long-standing intracranial hypertension, “finger impressions” are visualized. - Ultrasound techniques
. During echoencephalography, hydrocephalus, cerebral edema, displacement of midline structures due to tumors, hematomas, and other space-occupying processes are determined. Duplex scanning and Doppler sonography are recommended for patients with vascular lesions. They allow you to get an idea of the speed of blood flow and the state of blood circulation in various parts of the brain. - Tomography
. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain provide complete information about structural changes in brain tissue, size, and location of pathological foci. Used at the final stage of diagnosis. To assess the condition of blood vessels, differentiation of tumor processes is performed with contrast enhancement. and MRI of the paranasal sinuses are required when the basic diagnostic procedures are insufficiently informative; they confirm the presence of sinusitis and other pathologies (tumors, cysts). - Lumbar puncture.
It is carried out to determine the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid, detect hemorrhages, and inflammatory processes. During subsequent microscopic examination of the cerebrospinal fluid, the composition of the cerebrospinal fluid is clarified. For bacterial and viral infections, a microbiological analysis or PCR test is performed.
In some cases, special samples are required. For example, ganglionitis of the pterygopalatine ganglion is confirmed if the symptoms disappear after lubricating the nasal cavity with a solution of dicaine and adrenaline. For a number of pathologies, laboratory tests are necessary to confirm the inflammatory process and determine the pathogen.
Neurological examination
How to quickly relieve an attack of cephalalgia
In cases where a headache does not appear frequently or systematically, and a person definitely does not have diseases that can provoke it, then you can deal with the discomfort on your own. To do this, it is not necessary to use strong medications and call a doctor.
When you feel a severe headache, forget about bad habits, such as smoking and give up alcohol. You should also not apply ice or increase the dose of the analgesic yourself unless your doctor recommends it.
There are a number of actions that need to be taken so that a person with a headache begins to feel better, namely:
- Bring fresh air into the room.
- Free the patient from tight clothing and constricting jewelry, unbutton the shirt collar and raise his legs so that they are higher than head level.
- Reduce indoor lights and sounds to a minimum.
- Give water, it can also be a decoction of soothing and relaxing plants.
- Take a warm foot bath and apply a compress to your head.
- It is necessary to warm a person in cases where the pain intensifies and there is chills.
- Lightly massage the temple area, neck, head, while the person should lie down.
If the above methods do not help within 30 minutes, and only get worse, give the patient an analgesic. If this does not help, then call the ambulance doctors.
First aid for headaches
If possible, lie down, close your eyes and try to calm down. If you cannot take a horizontal position, just sit with your eyes closed in silence.
Place a cloth or towel soaked in cold water on your forehead and temples. You can also add 1-2 drops of soothing essential oils to the water. But don't overdo it! A couple of drops is enough - too strong a smell can provoke increased pain. Massage your temples and the back of your neck, open a window, breathe in fresh air, drink a soothing caffeine-free tea, such as herbal tea. If attacks of cephalalgia recur regularly or you notice that they have become more frequent recently, call a neurologist or therapist. They will help you find the cause of cephalalgia and overcome the pain. You can call the doctor by phone: +7 (495) 730-21-31.
When to contact a specialist
The appearance of a throbbing headache is already a “bell” that you need to see a doctor and get checked. And few people know that there are situations that oblige the patient to contact a specialist to alleviate the condition, and sometimes even save a life.
If you notice that:
- The pain lasts for more than one hour, and medications do not help.
- The pulsation becomes stronger, despite the fact that the patient does nothing.
- Pain in the occipital region appears immediately after a person wakes up or awakening occurs due to unbearable sensations that do not allow doing anything.
- A buzzing sensation is often felt in a certain area of the head.
- The pain causes dizziness, nausea, vomiting, partial paralysis, clouding of consciousness, and inability to speak normally.
- Intense pulsating beats that do not stop for several days.
- Changes in blood pressure, which are accompanied by headaches.
- The nature of the throbbing pain constantly changes.
If you notice any of the above changes, you should immediately consult a doctor or an ambulance, as serious problems may be hidden behind this.
Treatment
Headaches cannot be tolerated, so during attacks you should take analgesics. These can be drugs based on paracetamol, ibuprofen, ketorol and others that help a particular patient.
The main treatment for headaches is always aimed at their cause. If there are serious pathologies of internal organs, hormone therapy or chemotherapy, drugs for migraines or epilepsy, and drugs for heart disease are prescribed. Treatment is selected individually, taking into account the results of the examination and the general condition of the patient.
Dear patients!
Remember that only a qualified doctor can make an accurate diagnosis, determine the causes and nature of the disease, and prescribe effective treatment. You can make an appointment with our specialists or call a doctor at home by calling 8-(4822)-33-00-33 Be healthy and happy!
