Whether it is located above your eyes, on one of the two sides of your face or diffusely, the location of your pain says a lot about the nature of your headache. An update on the different possible causes, with Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of TipsForWomens.
Do you often have a headache? This migraine episode can be due to a spike in stress, medication abuse or even weather changes. But it can also be the consequence of a more worrying health problem… which is identifiable depending on the location of your pain. Explanations.
One-sided pain
“Migraine is, by nature, unilateral. Hence its name “mid-seed”, which refers to only one side of the skull. This pain can be triggered by countless factors, such as stress, light, lack of sleep, hunger, etc.assures Dr. Kierzek.
But it happens that the pain transforms, or even migrates to another area of the skull. Let’s see below why.
Bilateral pain
“When the pain is diffuse on both sides, and rises sharply from the back of the head, it is a tension headache, linked to stress or muscle tension. specifies our expert.
Pain that radiates to the back of the head
“Arnold’s neuralgia usually results in shooting, electrical pains that originate at the base of the skull and extend to the temple. The pain is caused by compression of the Arnold nerve also called the greater occipital nerve“, assure l’expert.
Shooting pain across half of the face
“When the shooting pain is localized in the cheek or around the eye, it is a cluster headache. Only one side of the head is affected. Unpleasant symptoms can accompany this syndrome; such as severe nasal congestion. Here the pain is so bad that some people bang their heads against the walls“, warns the medical director of TipsForWomens.
Pain above the eyes
“Throbbing pain above the eyes, in the forehead, suggests sinusitis. It is not serious in itself; but can cause uncomfortable symptoms“, warns Dr. Kierzek.
An electric shock on one side
“In cases of trigeminal neuralgia, an electrical discharge occurs on only one side of the face. It can also be repeated in bursts“, warns the emergency doctor.
Pain on one side, then the other
“This is called a rocking headache. There is pain on one side of the head then the other. We must be careful, because this characteristic pain can indicate cerebral thrombophlebitis, which corresponds to the obstruction of a vein around the brain by a clot.“, warned Dr. Kierzek.
A pain in the eye
“Very intense eye pain, accompanied by headaches and blurred vision are a reflection of acute glaucoma. This hypertension inside the eye is characterized by excessively high eye pressure“, concludes the medical director of TipsForWomens.