Headaches and Migraines in Columbus Ohio

Chronic headaches and migraines can be debilitating and prevent you from enjoying life. These conditions can be brought on by a number of factors, including stress, teeth grinding, allergies, and other medical conditions.

Headaches are generally classified as primary or secondary, depending on the cause or trigger. Primary headaches are typically not associated with a medical condition and are classified as migraine, tension, or cluster headaches. Secondary headaches are usually caused by an injury or an underlying illness, and include sinus headaches, medication overuse headaches, spinal headaches, and more.

Common symptoms of headaches include pain at the temples, dizziness, pressure around the eyes, and sensitivity to light. This type of pain can be life-changing, which is why it's important to get the relief you need from an experienced medical professional. At all Pain Zero locations in Central Ohio, our teams specialize in treating conditions that affect headaches and migraines.

Headaches and migraines can have a variety of causes and present very different symptoms. However, in general, the causes and symptoms of headaches and migraines are often similar.

Causes of headaches and migraines

The pain of headaches and migraines is caused by a rush of signals between blood vessels and nerves in the brain, although the exact mechanism is yet to be identified. There are two general types of head pain, primary and secondary. Primary headaches are typically caused by stress, poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle (lack of exercise), eye strain, illness, and genetic predisposition. Metabolic triggers include environmental factors like smoke, allergens, pollution, chemicals, and more. A secondary headache is usually caused by a medical condition such as an injury, eye issues, jaw strain, a sinus infection, or teeth grinding (bruxism).

Although physicians still don't know exactly what triggers migraines, their causes may include many of the causes of headaches, in addition to smells, light, dehydration, caffeine and alcohol, hormonal imbalances, and poor sleep.

Symptoms of headaches and migraines

Headache symptoms encompass a variety of issues and can be unique to each person. Typically, people experiencing a headache will have dull or sharp pain in the head that may be mild to moderate, but not severe. They may also have neck pain or pain in the back of the head or temples. It may also include a sense of pressure or throbbing in the head or behind the eyes.

Symptoms of a migraine typically include severe pounding pain that lasts four to 72 hours in addition to:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Irritability
• Mental fog or difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness
• Neck pain
• Visual disturbances (spots, lines, sparks)
• Fatigue
• Neck pain
• Numbness or tingling