Headache and Migraine Institute
CAUSES & SYMPTOMS OF HEAD PAIN AND MIGRAINE PAIN
Our Pegasus Headache & Migraine Institute targets the cause of the pain to eliminate the pain. You can count on us to ensure you that your pain relief and ongoing management could not be in better hands than those of our head pain specialists across Dallas-Ft. Worth.
Causes and Risk Factors of Migraine Headaches
The causes of migraines are still an ongoing search. However, most studies show that there is not a single triggering event or a particular cause, but rather, a combination of genetic or hereditary vulnerability to stress, inflammation, and other factors due to changes in the nervous and vascular systems.
Prolonged Exposure To Mechanical, Chemical, Or Heat Stimuli
Evidence suggests that a person’s pain receptors become sensitized by a variety of different events such as prolonged exposure to mechanical, chemical, or heat stimuli. An example of this is a prolonged exposure to the glare of intense light from computer screens, or watching television shows for a long period of time. These stimuli induce a relatively enduring functional change in the pain receptors.
Inflammatory Response
Chemicals released in response to a painful stimulus can also result in a widening of the blood vessels. The subsequent leak of fluid into the surrounding tissues prompts the release of more inflammatory molecules, which further aggravates the pain, establishing a vicious cycle.
Changes in vascular and nervous systems
The blood vessels in the brain also supply the area around the eyes, which may be a likely explanation for the visual disturbances like moving lights or tunnel vision, that are so common in migraine attacks.
Stress, Anxiety, Depression
Anxiety or depression, on the other hand, can cause a deficiency in serotonin — a neurotransmitter responsible for the regulation of a person’s response to stress, emotional and pain modulation. This dysfunction is likely a contributing factor to a migraine.
Types of Headache and Migraine Causes
Common headaches can be described as any abnormal, mild to moderate pain anywhere around the head that causes temporary discomfort. They can be caused by stress, injury or any number of reasons. Similarly, but more intense, migraine headaches, or simply “migraines” as they are referred, are recurring throbbing, pounding, debilitating headache pains that are often joined by vision abnormalities and nausea. If you’ve never had one, you don’t want one. If you’ve had one, which is presumably why you’re here, you want treatment to get rid of it as fast as possible. They are that painful.
Symptoms of Headaches and/or Migraines
If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering with a headache or migraine:
- Visual abnormalities (seeing shapes, bright spots or flashes of light)
- Tingling sensations in the arm and/or leg
- Speech problems (aphasia)
- Pulsating and/or throbbing pain
- Light and sound sensitivity
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Lightheadedness
Common Causes of Headache or Migraine Pain
There are several different causes of headache and/or migraine pain from hormonal imbalances to stress to the foods you eat. Each can be a trigger for the onset of pain and discomfort. These include:
- Foods. Foods high in salt content and processed foods have been linked to migraines.
- Food additives. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and the highly controversial preservative MSG (monosodium glutamate) have been associated with headaches and other health concerns.
- Beverages. Wine and highly caffeinated drinks such as soda and some teas have been known to trigger migraines.
- Stress. The all-purpose health risk. Numerous emotional and physical disorders have been linked to stress such as migraines.
- Sleep disorders. Too much or not enough sleep can throw body chemistry out of whack triggering migraine headaches.
- Physical events. Intense physical exertion can trigger a migraine such as sporting activities or sexual activity.
- Hormonal changes (women). Fluctuations in estrogen can cause migraines just before or during a woman’s menstrual cycles as the estrogen levels drop off.
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