Headache Dr Rob Hicks Most people have headaches occasionally.

In this article

What is a headache Symptoms

Causes/Risk Factors Treatment/Recovery

Headache is pain of any sort in or around the head.

There are several different types of headache. The main types are:

• Tension headaches (also called stress headaches, muscular headaches) - a mild to moderate headache that may last minutes or days and tends to recur. The pain is fairly constant and felt in both sides of the head and neck as a pressure or tension. Most importantly, exercise doesn't make it worse and there are no additional symptoms such as nausea.

• Migraine - ssymptoms can be variable, and there are several different types of migraine , but this is usually a moderate to severe one-sided headache that pulsates or throbs. Importantly, it gets worse with activity and there are additional symptoms, particularly nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and an increased sensitivity to noise, light or smells. Some people experience an aura (symptoms such as flashing lights) before the headache.

• Cluster headaches - frequent, short-lived (less than an hour), one-sided headaches across the temple or around the eye and occurring once or more a day, and often disrupting sleep. Headaches recur for several weeks then subside, although another cluster may develop months later.

• Chronic daily headaches - these may be of any of the above types, and occur for at least 15 days a month for at least three months.

This is just a rough guide. Every individual will have different symptoms, so the diagnosis must be confirmed by a doctor.

Headaches are generally divided into either primary (not related to another disorder) or secondary (caused by other things such as head injuries, high blood pressure or a brain tumour). With secondary headaches, it's essential to treat the underlying cause as this may prove fatal.

Primary headaches won't kill you, even if they're able to destroy your quality of life. Treatment involves identifying and dealing with any underlying triggers, then using simple pain-relieving techniques and treatments, followed by more powerful drugs if simple remedies are inadequate.

You may be able to prevent headaches or reduce their number and severity with exercise. Regular aerobic exercise reduces stress, decreases the frequency of headaches and can even abort an ongoing headache.

Also avoid common triggers such as certain foods, alcohol or preservatives, eat a healthy balanced diet and eat regularly to avoid drops in blood sugar.

Simple painkillers are effective for most types of headache if used properly, while more powerful and specific medicines such as triptans or 5HT drugs have revolutionised migraine management. A wide range of other treatments can help in headaches, including complementary therapies and, for migraines, the cosmetic treatment Botox.

Standard oral painkillers aren't usually effective for cluster headaches because they don't act fast enough. Inhalation of high flow rate oxygen is an effective treatment for many, as is the drug sumatriptan when given as an injection.

However, there's a risk that taking medication too often can lead to worse headaches or chronic daily headaches. These are known as analgesic-induced or drug-rebound headaches. The only way to reduce these is to stop taking the painkillers, which is usually best done with some help from your doctor.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Trisha Macnair in February 2009.