Are my headaches normal ?

Headaches and pain elsewhere is the body telling us that we are doing something wrong and is asking for help. Therefore, with this logic headaches are not normal and one should try to identify and address their cause.

One thing we do know is that the brain tissue does not have nerves that communicate pain. Other structure responsible for brain support and function do register pain and it is important to understand how they may communicate to us that there is a problem.

The most common type of headaches are tension headache, they are mild to moderate in severity and can occur a few times a week. The source of the headaches can be identified by checking the structures of the neck and jaw. The cause may be an emotional stress or intolerance to a certain physical stress like poor posture or problems with how our teeth come together and how our jaw joints move.

Below is the short list of signs and symptoms which require and investigation for your headache by a clinician:

– It is unusually severe

– The headache came on after impact to the head

– The headache came on abruptly and if they wake you at night

– The first headache in person over 50 yoa.

– If the headache is accompanied by a fever, stiff neck, confusion, impaired alertness, visual disturbance, slurred speech, numbness or seizure