Burning sensation in head
I am a 23 year old Male, and for the past month I have been experiencing a strange sensation in my head that is hard to explain – but I will do my best to describe it here. It comes on every 5 seconds or so and lasts for about 2 seconds at a time. I guess it feels like a burning sensation, although the pain is quite mild. I also experience an ache within my left ear, and sometimes a slight ache in my throat but these aches are not always constant. I would say they are present for about 70% of the day, where as the sensation in my head is 100% of the day. The muscles around my shoulder blades also seem a little tight, and yesterday I tried massaging myself around this area, and when I hit a certain spot I would get a short headache in my temples that lasted for less than a second… but every time I did this, I got the head ache every time. Sometimes (but quite infrequently) I feel the same pain on the right side of my head too, and I also experience shooting pains in strange places like my earlobes and rib area, which last for less than a second and again occur infrequently.
I have been to the Doctor a few times in the last couple of weeks, as I want to be sure it is nothing serious like a tumour. (I’ve never had anything like this my whole life, so it is all a bit worrying for me). They are not sure what it is, but think it is unlikely to be anything serious since the headaches are not strong, and I am not sick/nauseous. Also, they said that I would probably experience problems with my sight and/or hearing… The Doctor examined my ears, eyes, and throat quickly and said there was nothing of any concern there, but I know that it can’t be right to be feeling like this constantly for so long! They have prescribed me with Migrane tablets, which didn’t seem to do anything, and today they prescribed me with Diclofenac Sodium tablets which I have to start taking tomorrow. They said it is likely to be Tension Headaches, although having done some research online, I am not sure my symptoms
quite fit this diagnosis as the pain in my head is at the top left (right by the crown), and not at the front of my head like traditional headaches.
Can anyone put my mind at ease and tell me what the problem might be? I feel a bit like the Doctors think I am wasting their time, but I am just want to be sure it is nothing serious.
answer:
Secondary headaches are classified as either traction
or inflammatory headaches. Traction headaches result
from the pulling, pushing, or stretching of pain-sensitive
structures, such as a brain tumor pressing upon the outer
layer of tissue that covers the brain. Inflammatory
headaches are caused by infectious diseases of the ears,
teeth, sinuses, or other parts of the head.
Causes
A person feels headache pain when specialized nerve endings, known as nociceptors, are stimulated by pressure on or injury to any of the pain-sensitive structures of the head. Most nociceptors in humans are located in the skin or on the walls of blood vessels and internal organs.
Tension headaches typically result from tightening of
the face, neck, and scalp muscles as a result of emotional
stress; physical postures that cause the head and neck muscles to tense (e.g., holding a phone against the ear with one’s shoulder); emotional depression or anxiety; temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction; or arthritis of the neck. The tense muscles put pressure on the walls of the blood vessels that supply the neck and head, which stimulates the nociceptors in the tissues that line the blood vessels.
Medical treatments
Tension headaches are usually relieved fairly rapidly
by such over-the-counter analgesics as aspirin (300–600
mg every four hours), acetaminophen (650 mg every four hours), or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (brands include Advil or Motrin) or naproxen (brands such as Naprosyn or Aleve). For patients with chronic tension headaches, the doctor may prescribe a tricyclic antidepressant or benzodiazepine tranquilizer in addition to a pain reliever. A newer treatment for chronic tension headaches is botulinum toxin (Botox type A), which appears to work quite well for some patients.