27 hours ago The purpose of this case report is to describe the physical therapy diagnosis and management of a patient with chronic daily headache. The patient was a 48-year-old woman with a medical diagnosis of combined common migraine headache and chronic tension-type headache. An … >> Go To The Portal
Chronic daily headache is diagnosed in approximately 3% to 5% of patients presenting with acute headache. 1, 3 For patients with migraine, modifiable risk factors for progression to chronic migraine include obesity, medication overuse, stressful life events, snoring, caffeine overuse, and other causes of chronic pain. 4
Several prophylactic treatments for chronic daily headache can reduce headache frequency and severity, as well as improve overall quality of life. Nonpharmacologic treatments include relaxation techniques, cognitive behavior therapy, acupuncture, osteopathic manipulation, and cervical exercises.
Brief headache syndromes include hypnic, primary stabbing, primary cough, and primary exertional headaches. Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias and brief headache syndromes are relatively rare and affect a small proportion of patients with chronic daily headache. 8
Your doctor will likely examine you for signs of illness, infection or neurological problems and ask about your headache history. If the cause of your headaches remains uncertain, your doctor might order imaging tests, such as a CT scan or MRI, to look for an underlying medical condition.
Massage . Massage can reduce stress, relieve pain and promote relaxation. Although its value as a headache treatment hasn't been determined, massage might be particularly helpful if you have tight muscles in the back of your head, neck and shoulders. Herbs, vitamins and minerals.
Check out support groups. You might find it useful to talk to other people who have painful headaches. Consider counseling. A counselor or therapist offers support and can help you manage stress. Your therapist can also help you understand the psychological effects of your headache pain.
To avoid rebound headaches, don't take these more than three times a week.
Acupuncture. This ancient technique uses hair-thin needles inserted into several areas of your skin at defined points. While the results are mixed, some studies have shown that acupuncture helps reduce the frequency and intensity of chronic headaches. Biofeedback.
Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants — such as nortriptyline (Pamelor) — can be used to treat chronic headaches. These medications can also help treat the depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances that often accompany chronic daily headaches. Other antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (Prozac, ...
For many people, complementary or alternative therapies offer relief from headache pain. It's important to be cautious, however. Not all complementary or alternative therapies have been studied as headache treatments, and others need further research.