Causes Of Headache
Headaches are one of the most common complaints in society, and they can occur regardless of age, gender, or race.
While many headaches are harmless, in some cases, serious life-threatening complications can occur. Headaches that are debilitating and negatively impact quality of life affect one in ten people.
What Is A Headache?
Most people experience headaches at some point in their lives, and the severity and course of headaches vary from person to person. Severe headaches can negatively impact daily life and have a direct impact on quality of life.
In general, headaches are characterized by pain that develops in a specific part of the head in a squeezing, throbbing, or pressing manner. Some headaches develop gradually, while others come on suddenly and sharply. In some cases, the pain may be limited to a few hours or a few days.
If the following symptoms accompany a headache, the patient needs urgent medical attention:
- Persistent and increasing in severity headache
- Confusion and difficulty understanding speech
- High fever
- Speech and vision impairment
- Fainting
- Unsteadiness when walking
- Numbness on one side of the body
- Nausea and vomiting
What Causes Headaches?
Headaches can be caused by a variety of factors, and these factors are listed as follows:
- Infections such as meningitis, colds, and flu
- Changes in blood pressure
- Trauma such as falls and collisions
- Lack of water intake and hunger
- Long-term use of pain medication
- Menstruation
- Stress and tension
- Excessive physical exertion
- Eye problems
- Blood vessel problems
-
Brain tumors
What Are The Different Types Of Headaches?
Headaches are generally divided into two groups, and most of them are harmless. Primary and functional headaches are not caused by any underlying disease, while tension headaches are caused by diseases such as migraine.
Secondary group headaches occur as a symptom of another disease. Headaches can occur for many reasons, such as brain tumors, cerebrovascular disorders, and ear infections. The types of headaches we encounter can be listed as follows:
Tension Type Headache
It is the most common type of headache and is usually seen in women over the age of 20. In this type of case, there is a feeling of a band around the head. Most of the pain is caused by tension in the muscles of the neck and skull. Tension headaches can occur due to reasons such as holding the head in the wrong position for a long time or excessive stress.
Cluster Headache
It is a type of headache that develops with burning pain on one side of the face or eye, but not throbbing. Different findings such as eye watering and nasal discharge are observed along with this type of pain. Cluster headaches are long-term cases that can last up to 6 weeks. In some cases, pain can occur several times a day. This type of headache, which is rarely seen and affects men between the ages of 20-40, is a problem whose exact cause is unknown.
In cluster headaches, the pain appears in attacks and the duration varies from 15 minutes to 3 hours. In many patients, the number of daily attacks is between 1 and 4, and the attacks usually occur at the same time of day. One attack ends and another begins, and clustering occurs.
Thunder Like Headache
A thunderclap headache is a type of headache that occurs suddenly and is very severe. It can occur without any warning signs and lasts for an average of 5 minutes. This type of headache is caused by problems with the blood vessels in the brain and requires urgent medical attention.
Migraine
Migraine is a severe type of headache that is often described as throbbing and occurs on one side of the face. It has many subtypes. Chronic migraine occurs 15 or more days a month, and hemiplegic migraine develops like a stroke and is seen with different symptoms such as visual problems and nausea.
Migraine headaches are often accompanied by visual problems, and this symptom appears before the pain. This process, which is defined as the appearance of flashing lights, crossed lines, and flashes visually, is called the “aura period”, and various findings such as tingling and speech difficulty are observed during the process.
Some migraine cases are hereditary and are associated with neurological conditions. In general, migraine cases occur 3 times more in women than in men.
High Blood Pressure Pain
Headache caused by high blood pressure, which usually disappears when blood pressure drops. However, in some people, it is considered a finding that requires emergency intervention due to an underlying disease. It is a type of pain that usually affects both sides of the head and worsens during physical activity and excessive exertion. Symptoms such as vision loss, chest pain, and shortness of breath accompany these types of cases.
How Does A Headache Go Away?
It is important to know the cause of the problem in the treatment of headaches. In cases of mild headaches such as stress and low water intake, different treatment methods are applied than in migraine cases. In addition, in cases caused by an underlying disease, the main treatment is to eliminate the disease.
In tension-type headaches; pain relievers and muscle relaxants are used. In addition, antidepressant drug support is also considered, but it is important that these types of drugs are recommended by a specialist.
In cluster-type headaches; fast-acting drugs are used since attacks come quickly. These drugs are the type of drugs that will be mixed into the blood from the vein, nose, or muscle. Patients who are not improved with drug treatment are given oxygen supplementation and pain treatment is provided under the control of a neurologist.
In migraine-type headaches; there are different drugs used. These drugs help relieve migraine pain and eliminate other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting that occur due to the attack. Reasons such as hormonal changes, stress, high caffeine and alcohol consumption trigger migraine attacks. Therefore, acquiring regular and healthy lifestyle habits is effective in alleviating and reducing attacks.
In addition to these, other methods that are good for headaches are as follows:
- Headaches caused by sinuses can be relieved by taking a hot shower and keeping the affected area warm.
- Applying a cold compress to the head during migraine attacks is effective in relieving pain. This application can be done with a towel.
- In the presence of cluster headaches, lying in a dark room and applying a cold compress to the area is a good method. However, these types of headaches are severe and sudden, and they usually do not go away completely with natural methods. In addition to these types of applications, it is necessary to use the medications recommended by the doctor, and it is recommended to consult a specialist if the pain does not go away.
- In headaches caused by sleep deprivation, regular sleep and improved quality of life will relieve the headache.
Relaxing activities such as yoga and meditation can relieve headaches. Exercise and regular exercise habits can also prevent pain from occurring. - Massages applied to the head area are also effective in relieving headaches.
- Acupuncture can help relieve headaches by relaxing the body.
What Are The Types Of Mesotherapy?
There are many different types of mesotherapy, depending on the injection technique and application area. It is also divided into two types, needle and needle-free, according to the application method.
Hair Mesotherapy
This method, also known as stem cell therapy, provides the skin with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other substances that are essential for hair follicles. The solution used in this procedure also contains special medications that accelerate capillary circulation and organic materials that nourish the epithelial tissue.
The entire mixture is injected into the middle layer of the skin, which helps to nourish the hair follicles. At the same time, tissue damage in the hair follicles is also repaired, which helps to prevent hair loss.
Pain Mesotherapy
Pain mesotherapy is a technique that relieves regional pain by affecting the dermis, the middle layer of the skin.
This method is applied by injection with very fine needles, which helps to correct the underlying problems that cause poor circulation and skin damage. The use of different solutions to address the problems of different patients makes pain mesotherapy a therapeutic technique.
By injecting active substances into the problematic skin surface, problems in tissues such as skin, muscle, and joint can be directly addressed. In pain mesotherapy applications, the drug is applied locally and has a very slow spread. This ensures high-level and long-lasting positive effects.
In addition, it is less invasive than most other pain treatment methods and requires fewer sessions. This method, which has very few drug-related side effects, does not negatively affect a person’s work life and daily life.
The following are the leading diseases in which it is used:
- Muscle and joint pain
- Hand and wrist pain
- Ligament and tendon injuries
- Rheumatic and degenerative diseases
- Meniscus
- Neuralgia
- Trigger finger
- Acute and chronic tissue damage
- Intestinal spasms
- Migraine
- Skin problems such as hair loss and acne
- Cellulite
In addition, pain mesotherapy is not recommended for people with acute infections, pregnancy, open wounds, risk of heart attack, irregular hypertension, and drug allergies. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the details of the treatment and the session schedule in consultation with a specialist physician.
Facial Mesotherapy
This method, also known as mesolift, is a technique used to treat aging problems. Signs of aging in the facial skin are caused by loss of elasticity and start with fine lines and wrinkles. Over time, these wrinkles deepen and sagging occurs in the skin. Facial mesotherapy speeds up skin metabolism with a special solution. Rejuvenating, renewing, and structural substances that are important for the skin are injected into the middle layer. This ensures that the skin produces more collagen and increases elasticity. Thanks to the increased oxygen density, the skin has a brighter, livelier, and refreshed appearance within a few sessions. In addition, the skin is tightened and strengthened in this way.
Cellulite Mesotherapy
This method, which can be done by people of all ages, aims to eliminate the orange peel appearance caused by circulation problems. Cellulite is usually caused by hormonal factors and occurs with the presence of lymphatic drainage problems. In cellulite mesotherapy, lymphatic circulation is regulated, fat deposits accumulated under the skin are dissolved, and hardened connective tissues are stretched. In this way, the appearance of cellulite, which is formed by the combination of fat and connective tissues, is eliminated. Successful results can be obtained with weekly sessions in this process, which lasts an average of 4 to 10 weeks. In some individuals, additional diet and exercise programs may also need to be planned.
Regional Fat
Localized fat deposits in the waist, abdomen, arms, and legs are removed with this method. Regional fat mesotherapy has been developed as an alternative to liposuction. It is applied by injecting a special solution into the problem area, which breaks down the fat deposits accumulated under the skin. Supporting the process with a proper diet and exercise helps to achieve much faster results.
Needle Free Mesotherapy
This method is generally used for wrinkle reduction, facial rejuvenation, moisturizing, body tightening, and hair treatment. The application is done without the use of needles, unlike other methods, so the risk of side effects on the skin is minimized. In needle-free mesotherapy, various devices are used that have a meso peeling effect and help to renew the skin, but studies show that needle mesotherapy is much faster and more effective than this method.
After A Mesotherapy Session
Mesotherapy does not affect a person’s daily life in any way, regardless of the area to which it is applied. Since it is an aesthetic method, it is possible to start work and complete daily tasks after the session. However, it is important to pay attention to some points after mesotherapy.
- Due to the use of needles in the procedure, anticoagulant drugs should not be used before and after the session.
- The application area should be kept dry for about 10-15 minutes after the session.
- Clothing that clings to the body should not be worn.
-
After the session, strenuous activities should not be performed for an average of 48 hours.