It can be a terrible experience and we all would like to avoid them. But the truth is that most people have experienced some kind of headache at one time or another in their lives. Don’t forget those who are less fortunate! A large percentage of people suffer from severe, often incapacitating headaches such as Cluster Headache or Migraine. Or they suffer from frequent headaches such as “Chronic Day Headache”. These headaches can not only impact their quality of life but also their productivity. You are not the only one suffering from these conditions.
Treatments
There are many treatments and management options available. It is important to take a rational approach when looking for the best treatment. The “Diagnostic Pathway” is a step-by-step, logical approach medical professionals use to diagnose and treat symptoms. It is very useful for many conditions, but it is especially useful in headache management.
Your participation in the Diagnostic Pathway significantly affects your ability receive the right treatment. Because headache diagnosis is largely dependent on the information you provide to your doctor. The more detailed the information, the better. The frequency of the headache is a key feature in determining if a headache has occurred. This is how often the headache occurs over a given time period (e.g., once a month).
Types
These include “Episodic” headaches, which occur on less than 15 days per month, and “Chronic,” which occurs on an average of more than half of the days per month. Your doctor will be able to diagnose your headache more quickly. Cluster Headache, Episodic Tension Headache, and Migraine are the most common “Episodic headaches”.
Chronic Tension Type Headache. New Daily Persistent and Transformed Migraine. Hemicrania Continua. It is important to keep track of how many headaches you have each month. This information will be useful for the doctor when you see the patient for the first consultation. This is the first step in a logical, step by step approach to diagnosing and planning the best treatment for the headache sufferer.
Conclusion
Making a headache diagnosis is the first step in treating a headache sufferer. There is no such thing as a “just a headache” and each type of headache requires a different management strategy. The easiest way to diagnose and define headaches is by frequency. This immediately places it in either the Episodic, or the Chronic categories. The features of headache will then help you determine the type of headache.
