The pain is usually quite sudden, severe and localized. Usually, the pain manifests itself in a pulsating sensation and intensifies when one exerts oneself physically. Some patients report discomfort after intense sports training. Often other accompanying symptoms occur, such as visual disturbances, problems with balance, or even eye fibrillation. Complex examinations are usually not necessary, but the diagnosis should always be made by a physician and the disease should be monitored. He/she can also recommend a suitable treatment method.
How to bandage your headache correctly
A therapy against migraine must be chosen accordingly: There are special methods against acute migraine attacks, but at the same time there are also preventive measures with which the pain can be well prevented. In the case of lighter attacks, it is important to counteract at an early stage with appropriate painkillers such as paracetamol or also ibuprofen. More severe migraine attacks, on the other hand, are treated with targeted active ingredients, such as triptans, which are specifically aimed at migraine patients and alleviate both the pain signals and the unpleasant symptoms.
In principle, the earlier one acts during an impending migraine attack, the better it can be weakened. If one already feels that an attack is approaching, it is advisable to take a break immediately, lie down, and preventively take a pain-relieving medication. Numerous studies show that many migraine patients survived attacks without major pain in this way - in stark contrast to patients who did not take action and simply waited until the attack became even more severe. If you are not sure whether the corresponding symptoms are actually signs of a migraine, a visit to a doctor is recommended.
Also, avoid exposing yourself to too much stress in everyday life. This is one of the most common factors for migraines. Even in hectic times, always allow yourself a few minutes or hours of quiet to maintain your inner balance and to prevent migraine attacks from breaking out in the first place.
When should you see a doctor or go to physical therapy?
Seek medical or physical therapy help promptly if the headache suddenly and unusually becomes severe, is accompanied by fever, vision problems, or speech difficulties, occurs after a fall or head injury, or if jaw and head pain persists despite self-help measures for several weeks.
Examination by a doctor
The doctor will make a Perform blood tests and an examination of the skull. In this way, it can be ruled out that there are inflammations or other diseases that could be responsible for the pain. MRI or CT examinations are usually not necessary, but can be helpful in case of doubt. Here, the doctor decides which treatment approaches are the right ones.
Self-help: What you can do yourself to treat jaw and headache pain
-
Be mindful during the day of not pressing your teeth together – the upper and lower jaws can lightly touch each other; the jaw muscles remain relaxed.
-
Heat (e.g., a heating pad on the jaw or neck) can relax tense muscles.
-
Introduce short relaxation breaks and conscious breathing exercises into your daily routine to reduce stress-related tooth grinding.
How can physiotherapy help with headaches?
Often headaches occur due to stress or tension. Constricting or clicking noises at night cause the upper back muscles to become tense. The jaw starts to hurt. This is called CMD (Craniomandibular Disbalance) or in English TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorders). Trigger points form in the jaw muscles or in the neck, which trigger such pain. Your physiotherapist is able to help you. Trigger points in your anterior neck muscles (m. sternoclaidomasteoideus) can pull into your visual field and even cause pain behind your eye. A trained physiotherapist can recognize this and treat it accordingly. Often, it also helps to treat the neck muscles with the help of certain Exercises build up and stretch them. You wouldn't believe how many cases exercise can help with!
The therapy is then basically divided into manual therapy and active therapy. For the physiotherapy to be successful, it is important that you also do your homework. Physiotherapie Waidfuss in Zurich specializes in migraines. We will help you.
Counteract migraines and headaches with the right diet?
Not only through medication and by avoiding too much stress in everyday life, but also through diet can migraine alleviated become. Most scientists are now certain of this. But can an adjustment in diet really help to completely prevent headaches? The actual origin of migraine headaches has not yet been clearly researched. Nevertheless, it is certain that the individual symptoms originate from different triggers and together provide for the strong pain. This is known as trigger factors, which have a direct effect on our perception of pain. In addition to stress, changes in the weather or even noise, an incorrect diet can be a contributory cause for regular migraine attacks. It is therefore important to check this and, if necessary, adjust it accordingly.
It is not uncommon for migraine sufferers themselves to notice that their diet has a direct impact on the intensity of their symptoms. One often hears that some foods can actually trigger the attacks. Chocolate, cheese, wine or even citrus fruits are suspected. Also preservatives, flavor enhancers or even histamines, which are found among other things in cheese as well as in alcohol.
However, determining the dietary factors is not quite that simple. For example, some patients are certain that a high coffee consumption is the trigger for their attacks, while others see the problem in a prolonged caffeine withdrawal. Until a few years ago, chocolate was also considered a known trigger for the headaches, but today science believes that a strong craving is the body's signal that a migraine attack is imminent.
In addition, one should check whether there are certain foods or ingredients that the organism cannot tolerate. Glutamate and histamines are just two of the many critical substances that are often suspected of triggering migraines. So investigate very carefully whether your own diet may be a contributing factor to the occurrence of the pain - and then adjust it accordingly.
Doctors are certain that the processing of stimuli in the brain during a migraine requires a higher energy demand. To prevent attacks from occurring in the first place, it is important for sufferers to eat regularly. This should consist of at least three main meals and regular snacks. The most important thing is adequate fluid intake. An adult should have at least two liters of water or unsweetened tea per day – the more, the better.
Basically, for people who suffer from migraines more frequently, it is important to eat as balanced, healthy and nutritious a diet as possible. Too much sugar, fat, spicy or even industrial salt can have a negative effect on our small intestine. It is also advisable to prefer unprocessed foods without preservatives, flavor enhancers or dyes, as they are often found in convenience foods. In the best case, you always prepare your own meals - that way you know what's in them and don't run the risk of not tolerating some ingredients.
Book an appointment online now
