What do you know about Exertion Headache?

While most of you would have experienced headache at some point of time or the other, how many of you actually know there are many different types of headache? Yes, headache is classified into two broad categories based on cause of the headache, primary and secondary headache. Primary headache has again various subgroups that include exertion headache, migraine headache and cluster headache.

Exertion headache is the most common kind of headache that one faces. Almost more than 85% of people have had this kind of headache or commonly face them time to time. The frequency of this kind of headache does not follow any pattern although some might experience this kind of headache on a regular basis. This kind of headache has been more commonly perceived in women than in men.

The exact causative factor for these headaches is not exactly known although it is attributed to increased stress levels or due to spasm in the muscles of the neck region due to continuous still postures in one particular position like viewing a computer monitor. Another factor believed to be the initiator of this kind of headache is deprivation of sleep and adequate rest. It is also believed to be associated with other trigger factors like clenching the teeth, chewing a piece of gum and even to stiffening the muscles of the head and neck area in sexual intercourse.

Symptoms of Exertion headache

The pain with exertion headache is relatively milder in comparison to other types of headache like cluster headache where the pain is more sharp and piercing or the dull throbbing pain seen in migraine. Unlike migraine where the pain is concentrated on one side, this kind of headache is generally bilateral and can occur on both the sides of the head at once. The general area where the pain is perceived includes the area of the forehead, temple region, anywhere else on the head as well as the back portion of the neck muscles.

There is tightness of the scalp felt as well as pain on palpation of the muscles of the neck on the posterior side (back). The headache usually begins off in the neck area and then spreads onto the other areas of the head. Unlike migraine headaches, there is no aura in the form of visual illusions like bright flashes or blind spots in the vision seen with exertion headaches. Also, there is no increase in sensitivity to visual or auditory stimuli and other problems like nausea and vomiting as seen in migraine headache.

Treatment of Exertion headache

While taking medicines is not the only way to get rid of exertion headache, many other forms of treatment have been tried to provide relief from pain. Some such methods include massaging, hypnosis, acupuncture and even meditation. All these methods function on the belief that avoiding stress and preventing tension from building up in the head and neck area will avoid these headaches from occurring.

Many over-the-counter medications and prescription medications are available for treating this condition. Some of these include aspirin, acetaminophen, codeine, caffeine, oxycodone, etc. Even NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen have known to help people get relief from this kind of headache. If the person suffers from frequent headaches, taking these pain killers might result in rebound headache when the action of the drug comes down. Such people will find relief if they take tricyclic antidepressant medications such as amitriptyline or imipramine.

Exertion headache is the most common type of headache. There is no fixed pattern for this kind of headache which occurs spontaneously without any other underlying cause. Although the pain is seen on both the sides of the head, it is usually mild and can be easily relieved by taking appropriate medication or other relief measures.