Part 11
Today Consultant ENT Surgeon Dr. Mrs. Chandra Jayasuriya (MBBS (Colombo), D.L.O.M.S (Otolaryngology), FRCS (Edin) speaks about some very common issues related to headaches. Here she talks about common issues we face in our daily life and possible solutions / treatment for such issues and other related facts. Part – 11.
Q There are many other reasons for headaches. What are they ?
A – Diseases of the joints can cause headache. Problems of tempero-mandibular joint (jaw joint) and cervical vertebrae (cervical spondylosis).
Dr. Chandra Jayasuriya.
Malocclusion of teeth leading to fatigue of joints and muscles, causing earache and headache. The pain may become worse during chewing. Mal dentition should be corrected. Physiotherapy may also help to ease muscle fatigue.
Cervical spondylosis is a disease of the intervertebral joints and discs of the neck bones, leading to pain and limitation of movement. headache and neck pain and pain running along the arm can be present. Ultimately the spinal cord may also get damaged. This can be diagnosed by an x-ray of the neck. Painkillers and physiotherapy are helpful.
Q How can we identify different types of headaches?
A – Stress headache (Tension headache). This can be due to vascular diseases. For example Migraine, cluster headache.Migraine should be discussed as a separate topic.
Tension headache and stress headache :- The muscles in the scalp and neck experience prolonged spasms due to stress, causing pain in the head and neck. It feels like a band around the head. The pain lasts from minutes to hours.
Women are more prone to tension headaches. Approximately 20 percent of the world population suffer from these headaches. Some are affected by it every day. The pain appears more towards the evening. When it is not severe, it is not an impediment to daily activities. The headaches are accompanied by other symptoms of stress such as poor sleep. anger, tiredness, gastric acid. When you are affected more than 15 days of the month, it is called a chronic tension headache.
The causes for tension headache :- (1) Wrong seating position at work leading to spasm of neck and head ; holding telephone between ear and neck to answer causing severe neck spasm ; reduced vision also leads to incorrect seating position (hunching over to view computer screen).
(2) Lack of sleep due to work overload.
(3) Depression and anxiety due to problems at work or home leading to increased stress.
(4) Improper chewing leading to tempero-mandibular joint problems. Muscles around the joints go into spasms and cause difficulty in opening the mouth. When molar and premolar teeth are missing, chewing becomes improper resulting in fatigue to the joint.
(5) Hunger also causes stress.
(6) Strong computer and cellular phone lights cause the muscles in the head to contract.
Q What are treatment available for those issues?
A – A hot water bath and heat fomentation of the tensed muscles relieve pain. Massage of tensed muscles after applying warm oil also relieves spasm of muscles. Correct vision for proper posture. Reduce the strength of the computer and cellular phone lights and minimise usage. The eyes need a rest from time to time. Therefore focus your eyes to a long distant object (for example looking out through the window) when you work long hours using a computer. Do relaxation exercises to release stress during your break. Have six hours of sleep per night. Keep a small, flat pillow under your neck. Minimise the use of painkillers. Long term use can cause rebound headaches (when stopped abruptly).
