Headaches

What causes headaches?

You could have one of the over 150 types of headaches, but they all fall into two categories:

Primary headaches

A primary headache begins with a problem in your neck or head. Tension and cluster headaches, and migraines are among the most common primary headaches.

Secondary headaches

A secondary headache is head pain caused by an underlying health condition. Examples include headaches due to concussions, chronic sinusitis, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

What symptoms do headaches cause?

The type of pain, where it’s at, and how long your symptoms last depend on the type of headache. The symptoms of the three most common primary headaches are:

Migraine headaches

Migraines cause severe, throbbing pain that begins when a trigger like stress, caffeine, or skipping a meal activates the nerves in your head.

Your migraine could begin at one temple and stay there or spread to include both sides. Without treatment, migraines last 4-72 hours and cause bodywide symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and smells.

Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches cause extreme pain around one eye or side of your head. These headaches occur in cycles, with episodes that can last for months, causing several excruciating headaches every day before going into remission.

Can I get help at the NeuroFast Drop-in Headache Center?

Any headache sufferer, whether or not they’re a current patient, is welcome to drop by the practice’s NeuroFast Drop-in Headache Center during business hours for emergency headache treatment.

Your provider immediately escorts you into a dark, quiet infusion suite and starts intravenous (IV) treatment, giving you fluids and anti-migraine medication. Depending on your needs, you might also get a nerve block, neurostimulation, or a massage.

How are headaches treated?

Our team at The New England Institute for Neurology and Headache personalizes your treatment plan, identifying and treating all contributing factors. For example, we work with you to identify and eliminate triggers. Treatments can include stress management and nutritional counseling.

You might need medication to ease the pain when a severe headache begins or to take it daily to reduce the number of headaches.

This list highlights other treatments that can be part of your headache care:

• Behavioral interventions
• CGRP monoclonal antibody injections
• Botox® injections
• Ketamine infusions
• Occipital nerve block
• Sphenopalatine ganglion nerve blocks
• Neuromodulation (blocks activity in nerves associated with headaches)

Call New England Institute for Neurology and Headache today or connect online to request an in-person, telemedicine, or at-home appointment.