Headaches are
usually caused by stress, tension and sinuses and don’t represent a health
danger. However, you should learn to recognize serious and dangerous headaches
because they often require urgent medical attention.
The following
headaches require a visit to the doctor:
Thunderclap
headaches
These headaches are
frequent and severe. They develop in only one minute and can be caused by brain
bleeding after a stroke, head injury or aneurysm.
• Headache after an injury
If you’ve suffered
from a head injury that was followed by a headache, you need medical attention
immediately. The headache may be an indicator of a concussion and you need to
consult a doctor. Even a simple small head injury can cause bleeding in the
brain which can result in skull pressure or headache.
• Headache gets worse when walking
If you had a
headache when you went to bed, and then woke up with an even worse headache
that causes vomiting, then this is also a dangerous headache. If headache
medicines do not help you, and the headache increases when you walk or
exercise, this can be a serious issue. This type of headache can be a symptom
of a brain tumor.
• The worst headache of your life
This type of
headache includes pain in the head and upper neck when lying still, stiffness
of the neck, intolerance to light, vomiting and confusion. This headache can
indicate hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm in the brain, and you need to
consult a medical professional immediately.
• Sudden headaches
Sudden headaches
that are accompanied by severe pain, weakness of the arms, legs and face,
numbness in one side of the body, loss of balance, trouble speaking or walking
and difficulty to see on one or both eyes, may indicate a heart attack and you
must go to the ER immediately.
• Unusual headache
If you experience a
weird headache that is unlike other headaches that you’ve had in the past,
consult a doctor. Characteristics of an unusual headache are:
• Headaches after
the age of 50
• The headaches
change severity, location and frequency
• The headaches
become worse
• Speech and vision
difficulties
• Headache after
jogging, weight lifting or sex
• The worst
headache you have ever experienced
• Imbalance, memory
loss, confusion and inability to easily move the extremities
• Headache followed
by fever, vomiting and nausea
• Shortness of
breath
• Seizures
• Incapability to
perform normal daily activities