Headaches - When Should You Rush To The Doctor?

If you haven't ever had a headache, it's a good idea to sign up for lottery because your luck definitely is better than two-thirds of the world population. Or, you may just have been numb most of your life. Headaches, range from mild to severe and can be extremely frustrating for some. You can get a headache because of many reasons like if you are stressed at work, or if you haven't hit the sack for a while and sometimes for no reason at all.

When to see a doctor

Most commonly, people feel a tight band around their head during a headache. This includes the ones that you get when you have a cold, tension or headaches that begin in your neck. And while this pain can be treated by simple cold or hot compresses and pain reliever medicines, some headaches just won't go away that easily. These are the one should need to watch out for.

1. If this headache is the worst you have experienced so far

Brain aneurysm is a life-threatening condition that may be the cause of this heightened headache. Aneurysm happens because the walls of blood vessels near your brain have weakened, breaking open and bleeding into the brain.

2. If it is accompanied by nausea or vomiting

This can be a sign of a hemorrhagic stroke where that has because of bleeding in the area between your brain and the thin tissue that covers the brain.

3. If you suddenly feel a loss of balance, slurred speech and vision problems

These are signs of a stroke which occurs because blood flow to your brain stops. You can also get other neural-defects like confusion, loss of memory and inability to move your arms.

4. If you have stiff neck and high fever

Sometimes, arteries that supply blood to the head can become swollen or inflamed, leading to condition called temporal arteritis. The head and neck pain could also be a symptom of meningitis, a form of viral infection that causes inflammation of the central nervous system.

Additionally, if you always get headaches after performing some sport like swimming or running or if it has occurred after you injured your head recently, it's a good idea to visit a doctor and get checked for serious problems. 

Also read: Is it a a headache or migraine?

COMMENT