Migraines & Headache Treatment Geelong

Headaches and migraines affect more than 6 million Australians. Nearly all migraine sufferers and the vast majority of people suffering tension headaches experience significant reduction in their ability to work or enjoy social activities.

Diagnosing migraine

Although many people refer to their headaches as “migraine”, there are many different types of headache, and “migraine” is just one of them. In fact, the Headache Australia organisation lists at least 25 different types of headache! There are different diagnostic criteria for different types of headache, highlighting the importance of consultation with your GP to tease out the details for an accurate diagnosis.

For more comprehensive information, we recommend accessing the excellent resources provided by Headache Australia here: https://headacheaustralia.org.au/

Migraine symptoms

A migraine can be diagnosed when the following diagnostic criteria are met:

1. There are at least 2 of these headache symptoms:
– one sided pain
– moderate or severe intensity
– throbbing nature of the pain
– headache pain is worsened with movement (walking etc)

2. There is at least 1 of these associated symptoms:
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Photophobia (light sensitivity)
– Phonophobia (noise sensitivity)

3. A migraine headache lasts between 4-72 hours.

Migraines are often associated with an “aura” before the headache onset, which might manifest as visual disturbances, difficulty concentrating, excessive fatigue or yawning, poor coordination, dizziness, numbness, weakness, or gastrointestinal issues.

What causes migraine?

The pathophysiology of migraine remains poorly understood, although migraine processes appear to involve certain blood vessels, nerves, and neurotransmitters (chemical messengers).

Most people have triggers that bring on a migraine. The most common triggers are stress, emotional distress, poor sleep, certain dietary products, caffeine, alcohol, and hormonal fluctuations. Knowing your triggers is a crucial part of migraine management.

What is a tension headache?

Tension headache is the most common form of headache. Stress is a common trigger, and tension headaches are felt as moderate, dull pain on both sides of the head, often described as a “pressure” or “tight” feeling.Most people describe a band of pain around the head and there can be associated tenderness of the neck and shoulder muscles. Tension headaches typically last between 30 minutes and 7 days.

Tension headaches were once thought to be caused by tight muscles, but this has been disproven, and although tension headaches can be associated with muscle tenderness, this is not the cause of tension headache pain. Again, the underlying cause of tension headaches is poorly understood, but certain neurotransmitters are thought to be involved.

Treating migraine and tension headache

Headache treatments are vastly different depending on the type of headache you experience. Again, this is why it is important to see your GP and/or Neurologist to discuss the exact diagnosis, identify your triggers, and create a stepwise management plan. Often, both lifestyle changes and a range of medications are required to control chronic headaches.

At RiverEnd Aesthetics, our doctors can work together with your treating doctors to help you manage chronic headaches, including migraines.