What are primary headaches?

Primary headaches are caused by a problem with the pain-sensitive structures in your head. This type of headache pain can originate in the nerves and blood vessels around your skull, the chemical activity in your brain, or the muscles in your head.

Although there are over 150 different types of primary headaches, the most common are:

• Tension headaches: As the most common form of frequent headache pain, tension headaches are muscle contraction headaches that cause mild to moderate pain, which comes and goes.
• Migraine headaches: Migraine pain is generally a moderate to severe pounding or throbbing pain that usually occurs on just one side of the head. Along with sensitivity to light, noise, and odors, migraines may be accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness, and loss of appetite. Migraines can last for a few hours or up to several days. People affected by chronic migraines often find that this discomfort interferes with daily life.
• Cluster headaches: These headaches usually cause severe, throbbing, or burning pain behind one eye. Cluster headaches typically emerge several times a day during a so-called cluster period. They can also disappear for long stretches of time, sometimes years, before recurring.

What causes migraines?

Headache experts don’t fully understand what prompts a reaction in the pain-sensitive structures in your head, but they do know that migraines correlate with several potential triggers, including:

• Increased stress or fatigue
• Female hormonal changes
• Environmental or seasonal changes
• Shifts in sleep patterns

For some people, bright lights, strong smells, or other abrupt sensory stimuli trigger migraine pain. Others find that their headache problem is linked to certain foods or additives, such as aged cheese, red wine, or monosodium glutamate (MSG).

What are secondary headaches?

Secondary headaches, also known as cervicogenic headaches, are caused by an illness or underlying physical ailment. Unlike primary headaches, which originate in the head, the pain felt during a secondary headache begins in your neck and radiates into your head.

When is headache pain an emergency?

Headache pain can also be a symptom of a severe medical emergency, such as a stroke, encephalitis, or meningitis. If you’re experiencing an unusually severe headache, or if your headache pain doesn’t respond to standard pain relief measures, come in and see the team at My Emergency Room 24/7 as soon as possible.

If your severe headache is accompanied by a high fever, confusion, numbness, neck stiffness, confusion, or trouble seeing, speaking, or walking, call 9-1-1 or have someone drive you to My Emergency Room 24/7 for a complete assessment right away.