Migraine headaches are a very debilitating condition to endure. The symptoms involved can ruin your daily activities and make life very difficult if migraines persist.
WHAT IS A MIGRAINE?
A migraine headache is a form of vascular (blood vessels) headache. Migraine headaches are caused by a combination of vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the blood vessels. During a migraine attack, the temporal artery enlarges. (The temporal artery is an artery that lies on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple.) Enlargement of the temporal artery stretches the nerves that coil around the artery and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the artery magnifies the pain.
The above results in periodic attacks of headaches on one or both sides of the head. These may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity of the eyes to light (photophobia) with visual disturbance and flashes (aura), increased sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), dizziness, blurred vision, cognitive disturbances, and other symptoms. Some migraines have these symptoms but do not include headache, and migraines may or may not be preceded by an aura.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TENSION HEADACHE AND A MIGRAINE?
The difference between a migraine headache and a tension headache is that while a tension headache involves the muscles and fascia of the scalp and neck tightening and causing pain, a migraine involves a large chemical change that affects the entire body. Blood vessels in the brain become wider, serotonin is lowered, and nerves misfire – causing severe pain – along with a host of other symptoms like those mentioned above that usually do not occur in non-migraine headaches.
HEADACHE vs. MIGRAINE
Headache Duration - Hours to days
Migraine Duration - 4 to 72 hours
Headache Location – Over the entire head
Migraine Location - Often one-sided but not always
Headache Pain Intensity – Mild to moderate
Migraine Pain Intensity - Often Severe
Nature of Headache – Dull, pressing
Nature of Migraine - Pounding, throbbing, increases with activity
Other symptoms of Headache – Minimal to none
Other symptoms of Migraine - Nausea, vomiting, and/or sensitivity to light, sound and odors
Loading ...
