Undoubtedly, it is understandable that headaches interfere with the thinking process—constantly distracting you from work and bringing discomfort. As you know, both adults and children periodically complain of such a condition, and it is not so easy to relieve in every case.
There are a variety of things that cause headaches, and the pain can occur in different areas of your head. In most cases, the pain will just go away with a pain reliever, but sometimes, it does not. To know exactly how to deal with and relieve the pain, you can use a headache location chart. With it, you’ll know what type of a headache you’re experiencing and how to treat and prevent it depending on where it occurs.
The basic steps required to treat a headache are as follows
Determine the nature of the headache – Is it throbbing, pressing, or sharp? This helps with establishing a diagnosis.
Determine where the pain occurs – The localization of the headache plays an important role. The pain could be occurring in the temples or in the frontal or occipital region. It can be a unilateral (pain only on one side) or bilateral (pain on both sides) headache.
It is important to distinguish between the types of headaches. It could be possible that you are experiencing headaches due to migraine or tension cephalalgia, or it could be a symptom of an organic disorder of the brain or another serious condition, such as cerebrovascular disease, internal cranial tumor, abscess, meningoencephalitis, hypertension, and internal infection.
Isolated cases of headaches can also be associated with anything, and as long as they do not develop into chronic ones, they are not a cause for concern. However, if the pain becomes regular, you have a good reason to consult a doctor to find out the cause of the frequent discomfort.
Brows and forehead
If you often experience pain in your forehead (along the hairline and behind the eyebrows), you are most likely faced with the most common type of a headache—tension headache.
This type of headache is associated with stress and anxiety, as these health factors can make your head and facial muscles tense, leading to pain. People who also smoke often can experience throbbing pain in their forehead. The same goes for those who are into binge drinking.
Tension headaches can manifest with frontal pains that extend to your eyes and back of the head. Most often, this condition is associated with hereditary factors.
You can try to relieve pain by having a facial massage, limiting your caffeine intake, and getting enough rest.
Jaw and mouth
If you feel a headache coming on that radiates from your chin or jaw area, it may be caused by a toothache, which can extend to and permeate the entire head. In this case, it is a wise decision to visit the dentist as soon as possible to check the condition of your oral health and teeth.
But in some cases, such pain can also be diagnosed as a tension headache caused by the constant clenching of the jaw.
Neck and throat
Overextended neck and shoulder muscles can also cause tension headaches in your forehead. In this case, a shoulder massage can help relax the corresponding muscles. However, neck stiffness can also be a symptom of meningitis, which is a dangerous disease that requires immediate medical attention.
A sore throat can also trigger a headache. In this case, pain may occur in the back of your head.
Under the eyes
Pain that occurs under your eyes and around your nose is a classic symptom of sinusitis. Try tapping gently under your eyes and above your brows, where the sinuses are located. If you feel soreness in these areas that is accompanied by nasal congestion, then most likely you have sinusitis. The cause of the problem could be a common cold or allergy.
Behind the eyes
If you feel a growing pain behind your eye, it may indicate the onset of a cluster headache. This type of pain tends to affect only one side of the head. And, depending on the severity of the case, the pain can last anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours.
Cluster headaches are characterized by attacks of severe boring or burning one-sided pain, usually in the eye or behind the eye. However, it can also be localized in the periorbital or temporal region or can spread to the cheek, soft palate, lower jaw, ear, or neck regions. Attacks can begin at the same time of day, most often at night, and occur in series.
A hereditary predisposition is characteristic. Other than the pain, you will also experience tearing, redness of the eye, nasal congestion, constriction of the pupil, sweating of the forehead or face, and swelling of the eyelid. Check the rose-tinted glasses for migraines to protect your eyes.
One half of the head
Migraine often begins with a piercing pain on one side of your head. It also comes with warning signs, such as flashes of light in front of your eyes, confusion, and irritability.
The pain can occur suddenly in the temple and can cover a fairly large area. You can relieve pain by moving to a dark and quiet place. Migraine sufferers complain of sensitivity to light. By staying in a room with tinted glass instead, one can experience relief.
However, for frequent severe migraine attacks, do not hesitate to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Nape
Very often, headaches in the back of the head are caused by cervical spine diseases. For example, the onset of pain can be triggered when you do not change positions while sitting or standing. In addition, the localization of the pain would prevent you from turning your head, as such movement could lead to nausea and dizziness.
Soreness in the back of your head can also indicate a number of pathologies. For example, it could mean that you have osteochondrosis, hypertension, a cerebral hemorrhage, hearing loss, or neoplasm in the brain.
Temples
Pain in the temporal region of your head can be associated with improper functioning of your autonomic system or sudden surges in the intracranial pressure. It is often pulsating and can occur with the weather and climatic changes, which is why people who suffer from this type of headache have a very hard time during seasonal changes.
Throbbing pains can also come a day after binge drinking or eating food with monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other artificial food flavorings. There are also other types of food that can trigger this condition, such as smoked fish, cheese, sausage, and all types of canned goods.
When it comes to the inflammation of the trigeminal or vagus nerves, then pain in the temples often radiates to your jaw and eyes. However, do not forget that the symptoms can also sometimes indicate surges in blood pressure.
Older ladies who are entering their menopause periods may also experience the symptoms in question. As for children, it may be that they are consuming too many sugary foods.
Whole head
If you feel a sudden strong and piercing pain that covers your entire head and is impossible to tolerate, it is best not to risk it and consult a doctor, especially if such a headache is accompanied by loss of vision. Indeed, it might be a sign of a more serious illness, so seek medical attention right away!
Conclusion
Experiencing frequent headaches is not always indicative of a serious illness. However, if you have noticed several symptoms at the same time, do not self-medicate, but consult a specialist as soon as possible.
We hope that this headache chart will help you get at least a rough idea of the cause of pain from the headache you are experiencing. Do not forget that there are many underlying triggers of this condition, from lack of sleep to hidden brain tumors, so it’s best to investigate, be well-informed and seek the right protocols to correct it!
