What Is Your Concern?

Reoccurring head pain can be cause for concern especially if the head pain becomes increasingly worse to the point of debilitation. Determining if the pain being felt is truly indeed the result of a migraine attack can be done through symptoms manifested and the pain differences between a headache and a migraine.

Symptoms Of A Migraine

Symptoms of a migraine headache can vary from moderate to intense and can affect people differently, however, listed below are the more common symptoms associated with and described by migraine headache sufferers.

• An intense throbbing, pounding feeling      typically located on one side of the forehead
  • Pain can also generate in the back of       the head
  • Pain can formulate right above one       eye
• The pain is often described as      unilateral meaning the pain is typically felt or experienced on one side      of the head.
  • Reports have shown that about one       third of most migraine headaches are described as being felt on both       sides of the head also referred to as bilateral.
  • The pain felt from the migraine on       one side of the head can alternate to the other side of the head during       the next migraine attack. If you frequent migraine attacks on the same       side of the head please speak with your doctor immediately this could       imply something more serious is occurring.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Paleness
• Coldness in the hands and feet
• Sensitivity to light and sound

Migraine headaches are often spurred by daily activities that though seem small and insignificant can actually increase the onset of a migraine such as walking upstairs for example.

Differences Between A Migraine And A Headache

The onset of a headache is nuisance and can cause productivity to temporarily stop until it subsides but how do you differentiate between a headache and a migraine? Though both a headache and a migraine have some similarities, there are a few distinct characteristics of a headache that sets it apart from a migraine.  Pay close attention to the next few bullet points they should explain in more detail what a headache vs. a migraine looks like.

ü  A headache attacks quickly and with no warning where as a migraine we learned has preemptive warning signs.

ü  Migraines can last up to three days headaches a few hours.

ü  A headache though bothersome does not typically result in a loss of productivity and the inability to function.

ü  Headaches feel more like a pulsing feeling inside your head; migraines on the other hand tend to be felt only on one side of the head.

ü  A bout of irritability might occur with a headache but typically resides after some over the counter medicine has been taken, sadly those suffering with a migraine do not bounce back as quickly.

ü  Feelings of nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound are all characters of a migraine and will not be present with a headache.

Most headaches are often short lived with no cause for concern there are times when a headache causes severe tension in the facial muscles putting a strain on the neck, shoulders eyes these headaches are called tension headaches and can be treated with over the counter medication. Some forty million people suffer with headaches throughout a given year making headaches a very common complaint, the concern is not that a headache has occurred but the frequency of the headache as well as the length in which the headache last. If frequent headaches (not migraines) occur and last longer than a few hours, medical attention might be needed in order to insure that the pain being felt is truly a headache and not something more.

Diagnosis

Migraines are not an exact science, research evolving around the topic of migraines is constantly being unveiled and new information is then tested to see if accurate. The diagnosis of migraines is often done by the symptoms of a migraine; when migraine symptoms are felt often enough to warrant concern or remark. Headaches and migraines tend to follow a pattern so if you are or have experienced symptoms not common to headaches or migraines such as a loss of hearing, vision or any other sensory issue seek medical attention to insure that nothing more complex is going on in your nervous system.

Tags: migraine headaches, migraine symptoms, migraine treatment, migraine triggers, Migraines, natural treatment, symptoms of migraines