Migraine headache
Migraine headache
It comes on all of a sudden: The stabbing headache shows up in the most inappropriate situations in everyday life and can make us feel completely unwell, listless and irritable from one minute to the next. Migraine is a typical widespread disease in Switzerland, but unfortunately it is still underestimated and needs to be treated.
Experts believe that around 12% of all Swiss suffer from migraines on a regular basis. The symptoms, which are often not properly attributed, can quickly become a heavy burden. Migraines can hardly be compared to normal headaches, because the pain often occurs in a strong intensity and quite unexpectedly. Migraine prevents you from going about your usual daily routine. Basically, it is important to be able to recognize migraines as such first - afterwards, appropriate treatment methods can be considered.
Migraine headache - these symptoms are typical for the disease
Migraine can manifest itself in many different symptoms, some of which are often not even noticed.
It can usually be diagnosed as migraine with relative certainty by asking three simple questions:
- Is nausea or even vomiting often a side effect of headaches?
- Within the last three months, have you felt limited by severe headaches for an entire day or even longer?
- Are you sensitive to bright light during headaches?
If the answer to these three questions is "yes", this is a relatively clear sign that you are suffering from migraine. In this case, you should contact a doctor directly.
Jaw - headache - These symptoms are typical for the disease:
Jaw pain can manifest itself in many different symptoms, some of which often go unnoticed:
- Toothache after getting up
- Jaw pain when chewing
- Earache in the morning
- slight whistling sounds in the ear
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 properly treat migraine headaches
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 you act when a migraine attack is imminent, the better it can be weakened. If you already sense that a migraine attack is approaching, it is advisable to get some rest immediately, lie down and take a pain-relieving medication as a preventive measure. Numerous studies show that many migraine patients have survived attacks in this way without much pain - in contrast to patients who did not act and simply waited until the attack became more severe. If you are not sure whether these symptoms are actually signs of migraine, it is advisable to see your doctor.
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.
Medical examination
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.
How can physiotherapy help?
Often headaches occur due to stress or tension. Nightly pressing or grinding makes the back upper neck muscles tense. The jaw starts to hurt. This is called CMD (craniomanibular imbalances) or TMJ (temporomanibular joint disorders). Trigger points form in the jaw muscles or in the neck, which cause 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!
Basically, the therapy is then divided into manual therapy and active therapy. For the physio to be successful, it is important that you also do your homework. Physio Waidfuss in Zurich is specialized in migraine. 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, it is not quite so easy to determine the factors in the diet. Some patients, for example, are certain that high coffee consumption is the trigger for their migraine attacks - others, however, see the problem in a prolonged withdrawal from caffeine. Until a few years ago, chocolate was also considered a known trigger for headaches, but today scientists believe that a strong craving is a signal from the body 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 migraine requires more energy. To prevent attacks from occurring in the first place, it is important for sufferers to eat regularly. This should be at least three main meals and regular snacks. Most important is sufficient fluid intake. At least two liters of water or unsweetened tea per day should be enough for an adult - 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.