Headaches can range in severity from annoyance to disruption. They can show up anywhere on the head.
There are numerous possible causes of back-of-the-head discomfort in headaches. Additional symptoms can be used to identify many of these causes. These signs and symptoms include the sort of pain felt as well as potential discomfort sites in other areas.
What Causes Pain in the Back of the Head?
Back-of-the-head headaches can have many distinct causes, including those listed below. These headaches frequently also affect other parts of the body or are brought on by certain situations.
A medical practitioner can determine the cause of your headache and the best course of treatment based on the types, location, and other problems you’re experiencing.
Oblique Neuralgia
When the fibres that connect your brain stem to your head become inflamed, you can develop occiput neuralgia, a painful disorder. It’s frequently prevalent in migraine sufferers. Sharp, excruciating, throbbing pain that begins in your neck at the base of your head and travels toward your scalp is a symptom of occipital neuralgia.
Additional signs include:
- 1. Suffering from eye pain
- 2. A severe stabbing pain in your head and back of the head that appears like electrocution when you move your neck, coupled with sensitivity to light, painful scalp ache.
-
Bad posture
Back of the head and neck pain can also result from poor posture. Your neck, shoulders, and back become tense as a result of poor body alignment. The stress could give you a headache. At the back of your skull, you might have a throbbing, dull discomfort.
Headache with victoria
Your cervical spine’s (neck’s) herniated discs may be the source of your neck’s strain and pain. A cervicogenic headache is one sort of headache that can result from this.
Your head’s back is usually where the discomfort starts and is felt. You might feel it behind your eyes or in your temples as well. Other signs could be a pain in the upper arms or shoulders.
When you’re lying down, cervicogenic headaches could become more severe. Some individuals may really wake up as a result of the pain. On top of your head, you might experience a weighted pressure when you’re lying down.
Headache with low pressure
Low cerebral spinal fluid pressure is the root cause of low-pressure headaches. This happens as a result of spinal fluid leakage. Also known as intracranial hypotension, this condition. These can develop suddenly or as a consequence of a spinal tap or another operation when fluid seeps from the spine, causing the headache.
Left Side Headache:
Migraine disorder
The headache brought on by a migraine might occur anywhere for someone who has the ailment. Although they can be unidirectional or switch sides, they are frequently felt on the left or rear of the head.
Migraine symptoms can result in:
- 1. Intense, pulsing, throbbing pain
- 2. Auras \nausea
- 3. Vomiting, eye-watering
- 4. Sensitivity to sound or light
-
Headaches caused by migraines usually start on the left side, travel through the temples, and end in the back of the head.
Right Side Headache:
Headaches with tension
The most frequent type of discomfort is a tension headache. Your head’s right side and back will be affected by these headaches. They could involve neck or scalp tightness. They have the sensation of a non-throbbing, dull, tight, restricting pain.
How is a Pain in the Back of the Head Treated?
Many headaches can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen to lessen their symptoms (Tylenol). If you frequently experience headaches, some medicines, such as Extra-Strength Tylenol, can be beneficial.
The best course of action is one that is based on the precise reason for your headache.
Arthritis headache treatment
Anti-inflammatory medications and heat therapy to lessen inflammation work best for treating arthritis headaches.
Treating headaches brought on by slouching
Acetaminophen can be taken right away to treat headaches brought on by bad posture. By adjusting your posture over time, you can try to alleviate or avoid these headaches. Sit with your feet flat on the ground in an ergonomic office chair with sufficient lumbar support.
How to handle migraines brought on by herniated discs
The management of the underlying disease is necessary to relieve headaches brought on by herniated discs. Physical therapy, moderate stretching, epidural injections to reduce inflammation, and surgery, if necessary, are all forms of treatment for herniated discs. Exercise can help you sustain positive outcomes.
Occipital Neuralgia Treatment
Warm/heat therapy, NSAIDs, physical therapy, massaging, and prescription muscle relaxants are all possible treatment options for occipital neuralgia. A local anaesthetic may be injected into the occipital region by a physician in severe situations to provide instant relief. The duration of this treatment option is up to 12 weeks.
Tension Headache Treatment
Painkillers available over-the-counter are frequently used to alleviate tension headaches. If you have severe, persistent tension headaches, ask your doctor about prescription treatment. In order to prevent headaches from happening again, a doctor could also recommend preventive drugs like muscle relaxants or antidepressants.
Migraine Medication
Your doctor might recommend a beta-blocker as a preventative drug for migraines in addition to an urgent pain reliever.
A few over-the-counter drugs are made expressly to treat migraine symptoms. These might be effective for moderate migraines but not for more severe ones. So that you can avoid certain stimuli, a doctor may also assist you in identifying what causes your migraine condition.
When to See a Healthcare Professional
If any of these things happen schedule a consultation with a healthcare provider.
- 1. You begin getting headaches more frequently and for longer than a few days.
- 2. Your headaches prevent you from doing the things you usually do.
- 3. There is discomfort nearby your temple along with the pain.
- 4. If your headache patterns change in any way recently
-
You should schedule a consultation as soon as you can if you get a terrible headache that is unlike any other headache you’ve ever experienced or if your symptoms get worse over time.
Visit the emergency hospital if your discomfort makes it difficult for you to think.
There are certain signs that a situation is urgent. Get emergency medical help if you also have any of the symptoms listed in addition to headaches:
Severe headaches after a blow to the head pains that come on very suddenly when they generally don’t, especially if they’ve recently happened. abrupt changes in your character, including unexpected swings in mood or agitation. fever, stiff neck, anxiety, and decreased attentiveness to the extent where you’re finding it difficult to focus on a discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can back or head pain be a sign of something more serious?
You suddenly have an intense or violent headache. Even though you frequently experience headaches, this one is “the worst ever.” Along with your headache, you may also experience slurred speech, vision changes, difficulty moving your limbs, losing your balance, disorientation, or memory loss. Over a 24-hour period, your headache gets worse.
Is My Headache a Brain Tumor?
However, there are indicators that a headache can be a sign of a brain tumour, such as: chronic headache attacks, especially if there has never been a history of violent attacks. instances of headache that get worse over time. Morning headache attacks are more severe.
What do Glioblastoma Headaches feel like?
You’ll probably feel pain as soon as you wake up if you suffer from a glioblastoma headache. Every time you cough, shift positions, or exercise, the discomfort tends to worsen. Depending on where the tumour is located, you can also suffer throbbing and vomiting.
Can you feel a brain tumour?
There may be no obvious symptoms of a brain tumor in its early stages. It won’t begin causing headaches until it is big enough to press against the brain or the brain’s nerves. There are some notable distinctions between the characteristics of a headache caused by a brain tumour and one caused by tension or a migraine.
Is a back of the head headache serious?
Tension-type headaches are annoying and unpleasant, but they are not dangerous, and the majority can be relieved quite quickly. Less frequently, a secondary headache with widespread pain in the back of the head, like a low-pressure headache, can be more severe.
You May Also Like