Frequent Headaches

A cluster headache is the king of headaches. No other type of headaches can come close to matching it in severity. If you thought that migraines were extreme headaches, take a look at cluster headaches. They are, indeed, the worst of the worst.

Fortunately these headache are not common. Only one person out of a thousand can ever expect to experience one, and they affect more men than women. Most cluster headaches will be diagnosed before the person suffering hits 30. They also have some prominent headache symptoms that differentiate themselves from the rest of the headaches.

Cluster Headache Symptoms

Similar to a migraine, a cluster headache is usually one-sided with the pain remaining only on this side. Generally, when a person is prone to these headaches, the cluster will always return to the same side for every attack.

The pain occurs near the region of the eye and may radiate outward from there. It can be a pulsing headache or a continuous sharp pain. A cluster headache can also cause the scalp to become tender.

Cluster headaches have a different set of symptoms associated with them than migraines. There is seldom any nausea or vomiting involved and they do not have a migraine aura. These headaches begin quickly and are not usually as long-lasting as a migraine. They are often thought of as being a form of migraine since they are extremely painful, but they are not related. A cluster headache is in a class of its own.

Frequency and Duration

These headaches are known as a cluster because of their frequency. They arrive in clusters daily and usually at the same time. Most people that suffer from these headaches get between one to three headaches per day. If the headache occurs at night the person will wake up at the same time every night to face the music.

The episodes can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours or more. In most cases, however, the headaches usually don’t last any longer than an hour and a half.

There are chronic sufferers that only get relief from these headaches for 2 weeks per year. The rest of the time they are fighting off these headaches on a daily basis. A cluster headache sufferer needs to plan his day according to the schedule of his headaches.

Fortunately only 20% of the cluster headache sufferers have chronic symptoms. Most have cluster headaches that are episodic, meaning that they come daily for a certain amount of time. A cluster headache can turn on every day for a week, a month or even a year. Between attacks there is relief for at least 14 days.

Warning Signs

When a cluster headache is about to start there may be some warning signs or there may not be any. Here are some of the most classic signs that a cluster headache will begin shortly.

1. A burning sensation on one side of the head.

2. Sensitivity to light.

3. One eye begins to droop or swell.

4. Nasal congestion or discharge from the nostril on the side where the headache will appear.

5. Sweating

Causes of a Cluster Headache

Two schools of thought exist regarding the cause of a cluster headache. Some experts believe that these headaches start in the trigeminal nerve. This nerve is the one responsible for carrying sensation to the head. Other experts believe that the pain is caused from the vascular head channels and does not have anything to with the trigeminal nerve.

Treatment Options

Preventative – Doctors often prescribe medications to help prevent these clusters. While they can help lessen the severity and the length of these headaches, they do not usually prevent them from occurring altogether. Common medications prescribed include ergotamine tartrate, verapamil, divalproex sodium, lithium and prednisone.

Abortive – These drugs are taken after the onset of the headache. Common medications include intranasal lidocaine and ergotamine drugs. Other treatments include the administration of oxygen through a mask and Imitrix injections.

Surgery – This operation centers on interrupting or blocking the trigeminal nerve that is sending all this pain to the head. There has not been a lot of research done on this option since it is relatively new, so it is considered as a last option in most cases.

A cluster headache can change a person’s life. Someone that suffers from these headaches has to live his life around them. His whole existence and everything he does will be based on their frequency and severity. While medical treatments sometimes provide relief, most people still have to deal with the pain in one form or another. There are alternative treatments available for cluster headaches and many sufferers are using them with good results.

If you’re looking for a migraine headache treatment, the first thing to do is visit a doctor to get a diagnosis. After it has been established that you are suffering from migraines, there are two routes that you can choose to follow in terms of treatment. The first one is traditional medicine that you would receive from a medical doctor. The second is alternative treatments that you would receive from a specialist that deals with natural medicine. The choice will be yours to choose and yours alone. You will have to determine what makes the most sense to you and follow that trail towards relief.

Traditional Medicine or Prescription

Once a medical doctor has determined that you are indeed suffering from migraines you will often be given a prescription medication. These prescriptions can fall into two different categories.

1. Pain Relievers

These medications are taken as soon as the migraine begins. They have been designed to alleviate the symptoms once they have started. Common pain relievers such as Tylenol and Excedrin can be purchased as an over-the-counter drug. In most cases, however, a person who is visiting a medical doctor to discuss a migraine headache treatment is not finding the relief they need with these drugs. Some of these over-the-counter pain relievers may not be strong enough to work on severe migraines.

Prescription medications include triptans or narcotic pain relievers such as codeine, a combination of caffeine and ergotamine and indomethacin.  The narcotic pain relievers are not recommended unless everything else fails because they can become addictive, which only adds another problem to the migraine issue. As with any type of pain relief, it is always a good idea to start with the weakest form of pain reliever and work up from there, if necessary. A lot of these drugs have side effects associated with them and if you’re in the middle of a migraine, you certainly do not want to deal with side effects on top of it.

2. Preventive Medicines

A doctor may advise you to start preventive therapy if your attacks are debilitating and occur more than twice a month. He may also suggest following this migraine headache treatment route if your headaches are severe and you aren’t able to get enough relief from other medications that have been prescribed. Some of the drugs used for preventing migraines include anti-seizure medications, cardiovascular medications, Botox and Cyproheptadine.

It is important to note that these drugs usually don’t eliminate the migraine headaches totally. While they can reduce the severity and length of the attacks, many of these medications can also cause side effects that are quite severe. It will be up to you to decide whether you want to take this preventative path, use pain relievers or look for alternative migraine treatments.

Natural Migraine Headache Treatment

While the medical establishment is trying to figure out the best migraine headache treatment, there are many other natural solutions available for these terrible headaches. More and more people are turning towards natural medicine when they can’t get enough relief or a cure from mainstream medicine.

There are a lot of different alternative treatments for migraine headaches. Most of these therapies are based on Eastern philosophies and are becoming more recognized in the West. A lot of people are using natural treatments and many are getting great results from them.

The difference between the Western form of medical treatment and the Eastern form lies a great deal with the symptoms. Traditional medicine practiced by medical doctors here in the West isolates the symptoms and then looks for a cure. Alternative therapies from the East usually look at the person as a whole and work on getting it back into balance.

There are several different therapies that can work on balancing the energy flows within the body including acupuncture, acupressure, homeopathy, chiropractic, massage therapies, herbalism and many more. With these forms of medicine, the migraine headache treatment does not specifically address the headache itself. The headache is viewed as a symptom of a larger energy flow problem within the body that needs to be corrected. Once this is handled, the headaches will go away naturally.

If you are tired of taking medications for your migraines, you may want to try out some of these alternative headache treatments. With so many people getting relief from them, there just may be something in the treatments that would help you as well.

Although there has been a lot of research done in the field of migraine headache treatment, there are still a lot of questions that haven’t yet been answered. You have some options when it comes to treating your migraines and in the end you’ll have to make your own choices. Others will try to offer some advice, but it will still be up to you to figure out for yourself the route that you want to choose for treatment.

Those who suffer from migraine headache symptoms know that the pain can be absolutely debilitating. While some migraine sufferers are lucky and do not experience the intense pain like the others, most people have an excruciating headache that won’t quit until it wants to.

That’s the funny thing about migraine headaches. For most people the migraine headache symptoms can be masked with a pain reliever, but there is an overall feeling within the body that lasts until the headache is completely gone. It is an indescribable sort of feeling that just kind of takes over the body. While the headache medication can often reduce pain, nausea and dizziness, it usually cannot get rid of this “migraine feeling”.

It is important to know the different migraine headache symptoms and not to confuse them with tension headaches. The symptoms of a migraine are typically as follows.
 
Pounding Headache

The main symptom of a migraine is the horrible pounding headache. It seems as if every blood vessel on one side of the head is going to explode with every beat of the heart. Some people actually hold their head in their hands for fear that it will explode or to get some relief with pressure. This pounding headache is one of the classic migraine headache symptoms that is common to all migraine sufferers.

Nausea and/or Vomiting

About 80% of the people that get migraines complain of some sort of nausea with it. Some unfortunate migraine sufferers get nausea that leads to vomiting with every major headache. This is like adding fuel to the fire that is already out of control. Some people can control this nausea by remaining still, since this feeling can be linked in many cases to motion sickness.

Migraine Aura

There is a migraine aura that occurs with approximately 20% of migraine sufferers. Aura related headache symptoms will usually present themselves right before the headache begins and may include blind spots, seeing zigzag patterns across the eyes, lights flashing or blind spots. This aura also may include hallucinations, weakness or prickly skin. The aura is not especially painful and many people that have migraines actually appreciate the fact that they can have some kind of warning before the headache turns on. It gives students and workers a chance to leave their school or work in time to get home and get to bed.

Aversion to Light

This is another one of the migraine headache symptoms that may be experienced by one sufferer and not another. Some people have to remain in the dark until the migraine has completely passed. It is not unheard of for a person to cover their bedroom windows with cardboard during one of these migraine sessions to completely block out the light.

Low Blood Pressure

In some cases, the blood pressure can become lower during a migraine and this can make the person experiencing these migraine headache symptoms even weaker. The pain itself can weaken the body to the point where it can no longer function without being horizontal and this low blood pressure just adds to it.

Irritability

With all of this torture happening within the body, this migraine headache symptom would be quite expected. Usually people that have a migraine do not want to talk because it makes the pounding worse and can stir up the nausea. It is best to not expect too many answers from a person with a migraine. If you need to ask them a question in order to give them some help, it is better to ask them to raise their hand if the answer is yes and leave it down if the answer is no. This way you won’t be upsetting them too much by making them talk, but you’ll still be in a position to offer assistance when needed.

Fortunately, there are continuous studies being conducted on this mysterious phenomenon called the migraine. Researchers have been able to get closer to an answer by realizing that there may not be one single cause for these headaches. It is recommended that anyone experiencing migraines keep a running diary of their exercise routine, their daily routine and food intake. Every attack as well as the migraine headache symptoms should be noted as well. After a few migraines, the person may be able to see some type of pattern and be able to see what is triggering the headache. For example, one person may notice that he gets a migraine every time he eats chocolate while another might notice that these constant headaches only appear during a full moon. Yes – that can happen!

Migraines come in numerous forms and many people experience a variety of other migraine headache symptoms on top of the classic ones listed above. Some people, for instance, can’t be near heat while others can’t stand the feeling of being cold. It all depends on the person, since there are really no set rules when it comes to the individual symptoms a person may have.

One out of every one hundred people experiences a headache that is called an exertional headache. This type of headache is caused by increased blood pressure. The increase in the blood pressure increases the pressure in the blood vessels in the brain when you exercise, which can cause a headache. Usually this is a headache that comes on quickly and is an intense throbbing pain. An exertional headache usually lasts for about six hours, and usually it goes down in intensity. Using over the counter pain medications can help to control this type of a headache.

Cervicogenic Headache

Another type of headache that seems to be linked to exercise is the cervicogenic headache. The symptoms of this headache can include having blurry vision, and they are usually caused by a disorder of the cervical spine. In order to prevent these headaches from occurring, getting your neck problems treated is important.

Some headaches that occur while you are exercising can actually be a sign that you have another dangerous condition, although this is rare. The following are a few symptoms that will let you know that seeing your doctor is imperative.

• Recent head injury
• Tingling or feeling numb in a part of your body
• Headaches that continue to get worse over a couple days
• Waking up with pain, either in the morning or at night
• A headache worse than any other you have experienced
• A headache that starts from out of the blue
• A headache that comes with symptoms you have never had before
• A stiff neck with your headache
• Bad pain on one side of your head that is constant

Headaches are some of the most common health complaints, and in some cases, can be completely disabling to the patient experiencing them. Fortunately, almost 90% of all headaches are classified as a form of muscle tension, 6% fall into the migraine category, and the rest are considered to be a rare or mixed category.

There are 5 main categories of headaches, which are Vascular, Myogenic, Cerviogenic, Traction, and Inflammatory. Throughout this article, we will explore the differences between the five categories.

Vascular Headaches

The most common headache type in the Vascular category is the Migraine, which has characteristics such as severe pain in either side of the head, or at both sides at the same time. Other characteristics include upset stomach, and even disturbed vision. Migraines tend to be more common among women than men.

Another common type of Vascular headache is the Cluster headache. These are often characterized by short episodes of intense pain, which eventually subside, only to return at a later date. In earlier instances, cluster headaches were more common among men than women, however, in recent times the gap has closed quite considerably. The exact reason for this is not clear, although it has been suggested that diagnosis has been improved on.

Muscular Headaches

Also known as Myogenic headaches, these are characterized by a tightening of muscles in the facial and neck areas, and often this tension will move on to the forehead. The Tension headache is the most common form of headache in the muscular headache category.

Cervicogenic Headaches

The Cervicogenic categories of headaches originate from disorders coming from the neck. Often, a Cervicogenic headache will be the result of precipitated neck movement, or long periods in which the neck is held in an awkward position. Often, Cervicogenic disorders are accompanied by restricted movement of the area with neck, shoulder, and arm pain. The pain experienced is often vague in nature with regards to a set area, and difficult for the patient to pinpoint an exact area the pain is radiating from.

Inflammatory and Traction headaches

Inflammatory, and Traction headache symptoms are often the result of an underlying disorder, or infection. These may include anything from a stroke to a sinus infection, and in cases of inflammatory, or Traction headaches, medical attention should be sought.

While it is very likely that headaches are harmless, and nothing more than a painful inconvenience, some headache types may need specific treatments, or may be the symptoms of a more serious underlying syndrome, or illness. Many headache categories will be characterized by a pattern of symptoms, and may require no more investigative action to be taken, while other categories may require further testing, and specialized treatments.

Headaches that are the result to an injury, or blow sustained to the head are likely to warrant immediate medical attention, especially if they are accompanied with fevers, convolutions, loss of consciousness, or confusion.

For those who are experiencing headaches, it is important to see a doctor, or health care professional to rule out the likelihood of headaches being linked to another severe condition, or illness. Often, a doctor can rule out the likelihood of this, and assist the patient in finding forms of relief that will ease the pain they are experiencing.

If you suffer from cervicogenic headaches, you probably know the frustration of doctors that had no idea how to diagnose your problem and once they did by using diagnostic blockers, have no idea how to provide treatment. There are some treatments that can help to alleviate the pain and reduce the frequency of your headaches. Choose the right cervicogenic headache treatment is very important to ensuring that you can fully recover.

Chiropractic Care: Since a chiropractor is a specialist in the spine and has a very intimate understanding of how the spine affects our overall health, they can be instrumental in the treatment of cervicogenic headaches, which are caused by spine and neck trauma and stress. A chiropractor can assist with proper spine realignment, relieve pinched nerves in the neck and provide relieve from head and neck pain.

Physical Therapist Care: Physical therapy can be very helpful for headaches that originate in the muscles or joints of the neck. Therapy includes a combination of joint mobility, soft tissue massage, muscle strengthening, and improving endurance to reduce headache frequency. Regular visits to a physical therapist should be an integral part of treatment for anyone that suffers from cervicogenic headaches.

Manual Therapy: Also known as muscle energy techniques or manipulation without thrust, manual therapy can be very beneficial if you suffer from cervicogenic headaches. When performed correctly, manual therapy is a safe and holistic treatment that uses thrust manipulation to realign and relieve pressure that causes the headaches.

Trigger Point Injections: Helpful when there is pain that is coming from a trigger point in the upper neck and shoulders that is sending pain to the head and causing cervicogenic headaches. There are 2 techniques used. The first technique involves the use of dry needling, where nothing is actually injected. The needle is inserted to break up abnormal knots of tissue at the trigger point. The second technique is injection therapy which uses local anesthetic or steroids to block the pain at the trigger point sites.

Cervical Traction: This treatment means that traction is applied to stretch out the affected muscles and tissues of the cervical spine. For many people, cervical traction provides great relief by promoting space between the vertebrae and elongating the impaired muscle groups.

For those who have severe and debilitating headaches, more serious cervicogenic headache treatment options are available that may include surgery such as surgical fusion of the joints at the juncture of the head and neck. However, this is usually only required in patients with arthritis producing cervicogenic headache. Other options include chemical therapy such as regular medication that regulates the pain and reduces the inability for the sufferer to cope on a daily basis.

It is important to note that treating cervicogenic headaches first requires proper diagnosis and a thorough body examination which should include a complete exam, posture assessment and a musculoskeletal evaluation. It is thought that one single treatment will not completely alleviate the pain and tension associated with cervicogenic headaches and that several complementary treatments are needed for most people.

There are two types of menstrual headaches. First, there is the pure menstrual headache, which only occurs during the menstrual cycle. The second type is menstrually related headaches or migraines  (MRM). These headaches are suffered during the menstrual cycle, but are experienced at other times as well.

Obtaining a thorough patient history and determining the originating area of pain, frequency, severity and duration are the first steps of diagnosing menstrual headaches. Visit www.wdxcyber.com to read the diagnostic criteria on migraine headaches related to the menstrual cycle.

It is also important for every woman to understand her own cycle. She needs to understand the symptoms and the way she feels before during and after her period. This is important because it helps in determining when something is not quite right. To see how well you know your cycle, visit www.knowmycycle.com and take the quiz.

Approximately 60% of women who suffer from migraine headaches report that the frequency and severity increases during their menstrual cycles. Of these women, 10 to 14% say that they only experience headaches during their menstrual cycle.

Menstrual headaches occur when progesterone and estrogen levels decline during the late stages of the menstrual cycle. Estrogen supplements during this time can help delay the onset of the headache. Women who are predisposed to having migraine headaches are believed to be more likely to have a migraine during this period of estrogen withdrawal.

Most women notice their headaches more around the time of their period. Many probably have headaches at other times that are not as severe but, because of the bloating, cramping and fatigue during the menstrual cycle, headaches are more noticeable. Successful treatment can be quick for some and more challenging for others. Prescription drugs are often used at the onset of a headache. These are known as acute medications. However, preventative medications may also be prescribed for those with symptoms that are more severe and disabling. Prescription drug therapy also has its downfalls. Many women begin using the prescription drugs for all headaches, which can lead to over medicating. For full details on acute and preventative drug therapies, visit www.achenet.org. 

Non-drug therapies can also help reduce the severity and duration of a migraine headache. These methods include but are not limited to: relaxation therapy, hypnosis, meditation, and physical manipulation such as massage therapy. These methods are also divided into the acute and preventative categories.

Acute methods (treatment at the onset) include using ice or heat on the face, head or neck. Using relaxation techniques and dimming lights can help reduce the severity of an attack.

Biofeedback, stress management and acupuncture are examples of preventative techniques in managing menstrual migraine headaches. If you would like to read more about these methods visit www.amazinghealing.com for acupuncture, www.mayoclinic.com for biofeedback, and for information on hypnosis visit www.innermind.co.uk. Though these preventative methods help in controlling the headaches, they also require commitment. Most will require follow-up visits and training in how to use them.

Paying attention to which factors bring on headaches can also help prevent menstrual headaches. Women who suffer attacks should make sure that they are getting enough rest, eating regularly and avoiding alcoholic beverages before they start their menstruation. Regular aerobic exercise also helps many women keep headaches at bay.

Menstrual headaches affect almost 13 million women in the US. The National Headache Foundation has formed a coalition called the National Menstrual Migraine Coalition. The purpose of the coalition is to raise awareness and help those who suffer from menstrual headaches. To visit the website set up by the coalition go to www.menstrualmigraine.org.

Many people deal with tension headaches, and women in their thirties are definitely very likely to experience this very common form of headache. This type of headache is actually the most common type, and women are far more likely to deal with these types of headaches than men are, especially women between the age of 30-39 years old. Tension headaches usually start in the morning and as the day goes by they generally become worse. They often start in the neck and in the base of the skull as well, and then go on to go into the head.

Chronic Tension Headaches
One type of tension headaches are chronic tension headaches. These are tension headaches that  happen at least fifteen days out of a month for three months in a row. Usually they only last for a few hours, but it can be difficult to deal with, since they happen almost daily.

Episodic Tension Headaches
Another type of tension headaches are episodic tension headaches. These headaches are the most common, and they are usually fairly short headaches. They may only last just a few minutes, or they may last a few hours. This type of headache will occur less than fifteen days out of a month, and usually sufferers deal with tender scalps and neck muscles as well.

Tension Headaches and Depression
It usually seems that those who have chronic tension headaches have a larger chance of being depressed than other people; however, it is difficult to tell whether the depression causes the headaches or if the headaches actually cause the depression. Those who suffer with chronic tension headaches should seek professional help for depression, and many times this treatment will help decrease the frequency of these headaches.

Causes
There are a variety of different causes of tension headaches. Stress is one of the biggest causes, and skipping meals can also cause them as well. Lack of exercise or having bad posture can lead to the development of tension headaches too. Some other causes include hormone changes, depression, grinding of the teeth, and too many headache medications.
Tension Headache Treatments
In some cases the treatment for a tension headache can just take you eating a meal if you forgot to eat. Alleviating your stress may also help you to get rid of one of these headaches as well. Over the counter medications, such as Advil, Aspirin, or Tylenol can also help you get rid of a tension headache. If these medications do not work, you may want to speak with your doctor to get a stronger medication. Be sure that you do not take painkillers too often, or they may become ineffective or even cause what is know as rebound headaches too.

Alternative Remedies for Tension Headaches
One alternative remedy for tension headaches in acupuncture. There are many findings that seem to prove that this can be an effective treatment; however, you will want to find a professional to do this type of treatment for you. Also in some cases aromatherapy can also be an excellent treatment for tension headaches as well. Ginger, lavender oil, and even peppermint can help with headaches.

Holistic headache remedies fall into two categories: Those that provide relief from the headache you’ve already got and those that will help prevent headaches in the future.

For a head that’s aching in the present moment, here are several holistic practices you can try, either singly or in combination:

Boost circulation: Tight neck, shoulder, and upper back muscles can cause a headache or make one worse. To relieve them, locate the sorest spots on the back and sides of your neck and on the tops of your shoulders and rub them or have someone else do so. Rubbing breaks up muscle knots, which constrict blood flow, and boosts circulation that carries away trapped toxins. For best results, apply pressure for a few seconds before beginning to massage these areas. To increase relief, add an herbal liniment, especially one containing capsicum—but wash hands carefully afterward to avoid getting any of these liniments near your eyes the next time you wash your face.

Relieve anxiety: Tension caused by anxiety is a great headache producer, so using herbs that relieve anxiety will also relieve anxiety-induced headaches. Kava-Kava, Valerian, Hops and Passion flower are especially noted for their anxiety-reducing properties, as is the Chinese herbal compound known as Hepataplex, or long dan xie gan tang.

Stretch and breathe: Stretching and deep breathing both help release headache-causing toxins by increasing your brain’s oxygen flow. If you’re sitting or standing in one place and position for a long time, inhale as you lift your shoulders, then exhale as you roll them backward and let them drop.

Go for the right smell: Aromatherapy—the practice of using certain aromas and scents to alleviate physical and emotional problems—can work wonders in relieving headaches. Sniffing a few drops of peppermint, rosemary or eucalyptus oil placed on a cotton ball and held under the nose can bring instant pain relief, as can massaging a drop of rosemary oil into your each of your temples.

An added benefit for these remedies is that you can use them as singles or mix them without concern for side effects.

Long-term holistic remedies may include making lifestyle changes that commit you to a better diet, exercise and work schedule. Here are two long-term steps you should consider:

Breathe better: Making a conscious effort to do a better job of breathing can go a long way toward alleviating headache problems. Perhaps due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, most of us don’t breathe as deeply as we should or from the right parts of our bodies. Good breathing comes from allowing your belly and lower abdomen to push air into your lungs rather than merely breathing from your chest. Because stress and tension can trigger shallow breathing, making a conscious effort to change breathing patterns is important.

Go for the negative: Ions, that is. Using a negative-ion generator that freshens the air you breathe by removing unhealthy particles has been shown to relieve headaches and reduce the frequency with which they occur. Putting one in the room where you spend most of your time can make a huge difference in how well you feel.

TMJ disorders are actually a number of conditions that may have a hand in causing the intense pain and tenderness of the temporomandibular joint (hence, TMJ). This is the ball-and-socket type joint on either side of your head where the mandible (lower jaw) connects to the temporal bone of the skull. Most people who experience the pain associated with TMJ disorders think they’re experiencing a bad migraine, when this is actually more of a dental condition. The similarity in symptoms can make it difficult to diagnose and it may end up not being treated properly.

These types of headaches occur more in women than in men, a factor that may help to confuse them with migraines; most women complain that the pain worsens right before menstruation and during emotional and physical stress. The headache pain usually resonates on either side of the head over the temples, something else that links it to migraines.

Since TMJ disorders are dental in nature, most are caused by some sort of trauma to the jaw, like a severe blow. Yet, since the TMJ itself is an actual joint, any types of degeneration, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or any other forms of inflammation may cause problems. In some cases though, the cause is not always clear. Responses to stress are also thought to be, at least, a contributing factor. Some people clench their jaw when feeling anxious, irritable or when concentrating, keeping the muscles of the TMJ in a contracted position. Clenching the jaw and grinding teeth while asleep is not uncommon either. Any habits that overwork the jaw muscle can intensify the pain of a TMJ disorder.

A migraine-like headache is only one symptom of a TMJ disorder. Other symptoms include pain and tenderness of the jaw, locking up of the joint, difficulty chewing and an uncomfortable bite, aching pain of the face and inside or around the ear, an uneven bite with teeth making premature contact, and jaw clicking or teeth grating when you open your mouth or chew. In most cases, you will experience pain and tenderness of jaw even when it is not moving.

In some severe cases, people may experience related pain in the neck, face and back. Nasal allergies can sometimes occur, also confusing this disorder with a sinus infection and headache. The nasal membranes may swell up from excessive mouth breathing (which is dry) and cause sinus toothaches.

Sometimes you can relieve the pain of TMJ without any medical treatment. If they continue, your doctor or dentist may still recommend treatments that are conservative and non-surgical. There are also some behavioral interventions that may help alleviate pain and correct dental problems. Breaking bad habits can make the biggest difference in TMJ related pain. Refrain from clenching of the jaw, grinding the teeth, and any unnecessary chewing, like on your lip or objects such as pen caps or toothpicks. Keep your jaw muscles as relaxed as possible with the teeth slightly apart. Eating softer foods and cutting food into smaller pieces can help to avoid overworking the jaw muscles. Also avoid chewy and sticky foods, like gum and try not to open your mouth too wide when you yawn.

If non-surgical treatments do not help to relieve the pain of TMJ disorders, your doctor may have to perform a certain procedure. A corrective dental treatment will help to improve your bite and to balance your biting surface. Anything from braces, to crowns and bridges, or even replacing missing teeth can be done and are often helpful.

Corticosteroid drugs may be prescribed for intense pain and joint inflammation. The medicine is injected right into the joint space to provide immediate relief. Arthrocentesis may be performed by inserting a needle into the joint and irrigating the space of fluid and other debris containing inflammatory by-product. Surgery is usually the last and most drastic approach, used if the other approaches don’t work. You may get referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Surgery may be performed to repair or even remove the disk between your mandible and temporal bone. If advanced osteoarthritis or other severe inflammation is present, a partial or total joint removal and replacement may be necessary to achieve proper bone-on-bone contact.