Persistent headache is a condition wherein an individual experiences the same episodes of throbbing, excruciating headache that has gone on for quite some time. The headache may arise on a regular basis and can go on for 15 days or more. Pain relieving medications can only give the individual temporary relief, but after a while the headache comes back in full force. Persistent headache gives an individual extreme inconvenience and pain. It may cause stress and even disrupt the person’s regular activities. In order to pinpoint the best way to treat persistent headache, it is essential to know its root cause.
Causes of persistent Headache
• Migraine – If the throbbing pain occurs on only one side of the head, then it is very possible that you are having a migraine. Migraines are caused by environmental factors like stress. Migraine attacks can be triggered by hormonal changes or chemical imbalance in the body and the person who suffers from this becomes sensitive to light and sound. Sometimes, because of the extreme pain, migraines can cause one to experience nausea and vomiting.
• Chronic Tension Headaches – This type of persistent headache is caused primarily by stress. When an individual feels stressed, they often feel their head tighten and feel the pain on both sides of the brain. This can go on and on for days and the person involved will experience episodes of nausea.
• Hemicrania continua – This type of persistent headache is felt on one side of the head only. The difference between this and migraine is that with the latter the pain can transfer to the other side of the brain, but with hemicranias continua, it is consistently felt on the same side of the brain and the pain seems to be continuous.
• Sinusitis – When an individual suffers from sinusitis, the mucus membrane found on the sinuses become inflamed such that it becomes be difficult to drain mucus out and infection will then develop. Persistent headache will then occur.
• Brain Injury– When a person has an accident that injures the brain, it is highly probable for the brain to experience higher intracranial pressure, leading to swelling of some parts of the brain. With this, persistent headache could occur.
Management of Persistent Headache
Here are some of the things you can do in order to prevent persistent headache:
• Observe the headaches. Take note of when and why they occur, such as any incidents that triggered it. This way you will be able to determine the factors that could possibly cause the headache.
• Avoid the factors that trigger your headache. Do not allow yourself to be stressed and take time to rest. If noise causes or worsens your headache, stay away from noisy places.
• Try other natural alternative therapies such as yoga and meditation.
• If you don’t want to take in medicines, acupuncture can be a good alternative.
• If the headache becomes unbearable, it is advisable for you to see a doctor right away. The doctor will conduct a series of diagnostic procedures to trace down the real cause of your headache and will prescribe appropriate medications to help ease the pain.
Persistent headache can be prevented, if it happens, seek help and fight it off by following the aforementioned tips.
