Migraine Mastery

Migraines

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:33:00 -0700

For 2 years, Jim suffered the excruciating pain of cluster headaches. Night after night he paced the floor, the pain driving him to constant motion. He was only 48 years old when the clusters forced him to quit his job as a systems analyst. One year later, his headaches are controlled. The credit for Jim's recovery belongs to the medical staff of a headache clinic. Physicians there applied the latest research findings on headache, and prescribed for Jim a combination of new drugs.

Joan was a victim of frequent migraine. Her headaches lasted 2 days. Nauseous and weak, she stayed in the dark until each attack was over. Today, although migraine still interferes with her life, she has fewer attacks and less severe headaches than before. A specialist prescribed an antimigraine program for Joan that included improved drug therapy, a new diet and relaxation training.

An avid reader, Peggy couldn't put down the new mystery thriller. After 4 hours of reading slumped in bed, she knew she had overdone it. Her tensed head and neck muscles felt as if they were being squeezed between two giant hands. But for Peggy, the muscle-contraction headache and neck pain were soon relieved by a hot shower and aspirin.

Understanding why headaches occur and improving headache treatment are among the research goals of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). As the leading supporter of brain research in the Federal Government, the NINDS also supports and conducts studies to improve the diagnosis of headaches and to find ways to prevent them.

For more information, visit ninds.nih.gov

The Universal Disorder

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:29:00 -0700

You know it at once. It may be the fiery sensation of a burn moments after your finger touches the stove. Or it's a dull ache above your brow after a day of stress and tension. Or you may recognize it as a sharp pierce in your back after you lift something heavy.

It is pain. In its most benign form, it warns us that something isn't quite right, that we should take medicine or see a doctor. At its worst, however, pain robs us of our productivity, our well-being, and, for many of us suffering from extended illness, our very lives. Pain is a complex perception that differs enormously among individual patients, even those who appear to have identical injuries or illnesses.

In 1931, the French medical missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Pain is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Today, pain has become the universal disorder, a serious and costly public health issue, and a challenge for family, friends, and health care providers who must give support to the individual suffering from the physical as well as the emotional consequences of pain.

For more information, visit ninds.nih.gov

Patients educate patients to control migraine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:24:00 -0700

Tame Tension Headaches

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Apr 2008 11:48:00 -0700

Tension headaches are often triggered by stress or anxiety, causing pain and muscle tension in the head and neck.

Here are suggestions to help keep tension headaches at bay, courtesy of the U.S. National
Library of Medicine:

Help control stress and anxiety with exercise, meditation, yoga or other stress-relieving methods.

Get plenty of sleep each night.

If you have muscle soreness in the upper back, neck or head, gently massage the muscles in these areas.

Know what causes headaches for you, and try to prevent the condition. For example, if cold temperatures tend to cause your headaches, try to keep warm.

Try sleeping with a different pillow, or sleeping in a different position.

Maintain good posture. Exercise the neck and shoulders often, especially when typing, reading or working at a computer.

For more information, visit Mymigraineconnection.com

Headache common in people with GI trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 2 Apr 2008 14:50:00 -0700

Famous Migraineurs - Terrell Davis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:02:00 -0700

Migraine disease affects nearly 36 million people in the United States. It does not discriminate by age, race, or social status. You may be a third-grade teacher, firefighter, stay-at-home mom, construction worker, someone's favorite grandma or grandpa, secretary, or an NFL star but still have one thing in common: Migraine disease.Terrell Davis is one such famous Migraineur. Born in San Diego, California, on October 28, 1972, Davis began his love of football when he played for a local Pop Warner league at seven years old. Unfortunately that's when his Migraine attacks started too. He continued to play football through high school, excelling at many different positions. Davis received a scholarship from University California at Long Beach for a year, then transferred to University of Georgia, when the football program was eliminated at Long Beach.

The Denver Broncos picked him in the sixth round and he went on to be one of the best playoff running backs in NFL history.Davis hasn't let Migraines stop him. During the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII, playing for the Denver Broncos, he was hit hard and left the field with a towel draped over his head. The Migraine that was developing made the sunlight exceedingly hard to tolerate, and Davis missed the second quarter. He used an ergotamine Migraine abortive, and was back in the game for the second half. In fact, he scored three touchdowns -- including the winning one -- and the Broncos went on to win the Super Bowl! Davis was named Most Valuable Player.When famous Migraineurs share this part of their lives they legitimatized Migraine disease. As if to say "If Terrell Davis was sidelined by a Migraine, then they really must be bad!" Being in the public eye allows NFL players, actors or politicians to bring much needed attention to Migraine disease and its lack of effective treatments, research funding, understanding, and compassion.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Sinus Buster Hot Pepper Nasal Spray Recognized As Effective Migraine Headache Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:09:00 -0700

Over 23 Million Americans suffer from chronic Migraine headaches. A classic migraine is characterized by extreme throbbing pain accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision and vomiting.

Some migraine headaches can last for days or even weeks at a time. Although there are pharmaceutically prepared medicines designed to combat migraines, an all natural nasal spray made with Cayenne peppers, Feverfew extract and Peppermint oil is fast becoming recognized as an important migraine treatment.

Sold under the brand name Sinus Buster, this new hot pepper migraine nasal spray has been garnering lots of media attention from medical reporters around the country. Sinus Buster was recently featured by CBS3 in Philadelphia on their popular Health Alert segment hosted by medical reporter, Stephanie Stahl.

In the report, Ms. Stahl interviewed Dr. William Young, a researcher at the Thomas Jefferson University Headache Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Young said he regularly recommends Sinus Buster to migraine patients and he agrees that Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers can be highly effective against headaches. Dr. Young also points out that Peppermint Oil, a main ingredient in Sinus Buster's headache formula has been shown to diminish pain through intranasal application.

According to Wayne Perry, a long time headache sufferer and the inventor of Sinus Buster, his unique product is destined to become a household name.

For more information, visit sinusbuster.com

Alexza's AZ-104 (Staccato(R) Loxapine) Phase 2a Trial Meets Primary Endpoint of 2-Hour Pain Relief in Patients with Migraine Headache

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:02:00 -0700

Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today positive top-line results from its 168 patient Phase 2a clinical trial of AZ-104 (Staccato(R) loxapine) in patients with migraine headache. Migraine is a debilitating, yet common neurological disorder characterized by attacks of severe
headache and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Two doses of AZ-104, 2.5 and 5 mg, met the primary endpoint of 2-hour pain-relief compared to placebo. Alexza believes the novel, non-invasive nature and rapid pharmacokinetic (PK) properties resulting from inhaled loxapine
administration via the Staccato system have the potential to make AZ-104 a viable product to treat acute migraines. AZ-104 is a lower dose version of AZ-004, which is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of acute agitation in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. AZ-004 and AZ-104 are being developed through Symphony Allegro, a development
collaboration formed between Alexza and Symphony Capital in 2006.

About Acute Migraine Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, approximately 13 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with migraine headaches. Acute migraine headaches occur often, usually one to four times a month. Of the estimated 29.5 million migraine sufferers (including diagnosed and undiagnosed sufferers), there are at least two groups of potential patients
for whom we believe AZ-001 (Staccato prochlorperazine) and AZ-104 could be effective and safe in comparison to triptans. Many migraine sufferers who do take triptans have an insufficient therapeutic response to these medications. In addition, according to the warning labels on triptans, patients with hypertension or high cholesterol, or who smoke cigarettes, are contraindicated for and should not take these medications due to potential cardiovascular health risks.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Educating patients to control migraine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:34:00 -0700

When migraine patients trained other migraine patients how to prevent migraine headaches, attacks declined and both trainers and trainees gained a greater sense of control over their attacks, researchers report.

Patient-trainers provide credible and recognizable disease-specific knowledge, Dr. Jan Passchier told Reuters Health. "Trainees appreciated the trainers' emotional and motivational assistance."

Moreover, trainers themselves benefited "in terms of large headache improvements and improved quality of life," noted Passchier, of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Passchier and colleagues evaluated the effects of migraine sufferers providing other migraine sufferers with home-based behavior training. Both trainers and trainees were under medical care for relatively frequent migraine (1 to 6 times per month), with or without aura, but had no underlying associated disease, the investigators explain in the journal Cephalalgia.

Passchier's team recruited trainers from a pool of patients who took behavioral training classes themselves. The 14 trainers were educated in how to train others to detect and modify their individual migraine triggers and use relaxation and breathing exercises, as well as other behavioral techniques to prevent attacks.

Patients reporting greater numbers of migraines appeared to benefit more from training than did those with less frequent attacks, the researchers report.

Moreover, patients receiving behavioral training reported significantly increased self-confidence in their own ability to prevent migraine attacks, and a greater ability to manage and control attacks.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Headache common in people with GI trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:59:00 -0700

The prevalence of headache is higher in people with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation, than in people who don't have these bothersome symptoms, new research indicates.

Both headaches and GI symptoms are common in the general population and eat up substantial healthcare dollars, note the researchers.

To investigate, Dr. Anne Hege Aamodt and associates from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, reviewed questionnaires completed by 43,732 participants in the Nord-Trondelag Health Study, including information on GI symptoms as well as headache.

After adjusting for gender, age, depression, anxiety and other factors that might influence the results, the research team noted a significantly higher prevalence of headache among participants with reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, compared to those without such complaints.

"The association between headache and gastrointestinal complaints increased markedly with increasing headache frequency," Aamodt told Reuters Health.

These results have implications for the treatment of headache patients. "It is important to consider the total burden of discomfort in these patients and to avoid headache medication with adverse gastrointestinal effects in those with much gastrointestinal discomfort," Aamodt said.

The strong ties between frequent headache and frequent GI complaints raises questions about common mechanisms that make headache sufferers predisposed to GI complaints, Aamodt also noted.

For more information, mymigraineconnection.com

What's Behind My Migraine?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 8 Mar 2008 08:24:00 -0800

Migraines are severe headaches that can also cause nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraines are more common in women than men. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists these common triggers of migraines in women:

Not getting enough to eat.
Not getting enough sleep.
Exposure to bright lights or loud noise.
Fluctuating hormone levels, such as during your period.
Changes in the weather.
Emotional factors, such as stress or anxiety.
Chocolate, alcohol, nicotine or foods with additives such as MSG.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Epilepsy Drug Doesn't Prevent Migraines

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:53:00 -0800

The epilepsy drug oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) does not seem to prevent migraines, as once thought, a new study finds.

Migraines affect more than 28 million Americans, and certain epilepsy drugs have been shown to be effective in preventing these severe headaches. For this reason, many assumed that oxcarbazepine would also work against migraines.

The report appears in the Feb. 12 issue of Neurology.

The three epilepsy drugs that have been shown to prevent migraines, topiramate, divalproex and gabapentin, do so through several mechanisms. One mechanism is the regulation of the neurotransmitter called GABA. However, oxcarbazepine appears not to affect GABA activity. It is possible that epilepsy drugs need to regulate GABA to prevent migraine, Silberstein noted.

Another expert agreed that this drug is not likely to prevent migraine.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Drug doesn't help prevent migraine after all: study

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:32:00 -0800

Contrary to some reports, the anti-epilepsy drug oxcarbazepine does not appear to prevent migraine headaches, new research suggests.

Anti-epilepsy drugs have been used for the prevention of migraine, Dr. Stephen Silberstein of the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia, and associates note in the journal Neurology -- and reports have suggested that oxcarbazepine would be effective as well.

In a study lasting almost five months, the investigators randomly assigned 170 men and women with a history of migraine to a daily dose of oxcarbazepine or inactive placebo. Both groups included people who had three to nine migraine attacks within a month.

Results showed no difference between the oxcarbazepine and placebo groups in the change in the number of migraine attacks from the beginning to the end of the study.

Similarly, the severity of migraine attacks and the amount of acute rescue medication required was not affected by treatment allocation.

For more information, visit Mymigraineconnection.com

Migraine Sufferers Have Different Brains

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:24:00 -0800

Researchers have identified specific differences in the brains of migraine sufferers linked to the processing of sensory information, including pain.

In earlier research, Harvard Medical School investigators used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show structural differences between the brains of people with and without migraines.

Specifically, the imaging showed thickening in a specific area of the brain related to the communication of sensory processing called the somatosensory cortex (SSC).

Migraines and the Brain

In the newly reported imaging study, researchers compared the brains of 24 people with migraines and 12 people without them. They found that the SSC was an average of 21% thicker in migraine sufferers. The thickness changes were especially pronounced in the part of the SSC related to sensation of the head and face.

Other studies have also shown differences in cortex thickness in patients with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

But it is also possible that the structural changes precede migraines and actually cause them to occur.

Imaging studies on young children who are at high risk for having migraines later in life because their mother or father had them may also help answer the question of which comes first.

For more information, visit medicinenet.com

Neck jab reduces migraine symptoms

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:55:00 -0800

Injection of a local anesthetic into active trigger points in the lower part of the neck -- the cervical spine -- ameliorates migraine symptoms, Italian investigators report.

The local treatment of trigger points can reduce the use of migraine drugs, and thus help prevent headaches caused by medication overuse.

Drug overuse headaches are a "huge problem" and are becoming more frequent in migraine patients and are "extremely difficult to treat," the study investigator added.

Researchers report in The Journal of Pain that trigger point injection was associated with significant decreases in the number and maximal intensity of migraine attacks, whereas migraine number and maximal intensity did not change significantly in the untreated patients.

For more information, visit mymigraineconnection.com

Why Women Have More Migraines: The Role of Hormones

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 3 Jan 2008 10:24:00 -0800

Your head is throbbing severely, probably only on one side. Any light or sound only makes it worse, and you may be feeling nauseated. The excruciating pain is almost unbearable. The slightest movement only intensifies the pain. Maybe you are having visual symptoms such as flashing lights or an aura, as well. You are having a migraine headache. Although you feel like it's the end of the world, and no one can understand what you are going through. You are not alone.

Twenty-eight million Americans suffer from migraine headaches.

There is no cure for migraines. However, there is hope for effective relief and a significant reduction in the severity and number of migraine headaches you suffer. The first step is getting an accurate diagnosis from your physician. Unfortunately, only about half of migraine sufferers are diagnosed, and even less receive proper treatment according to the American Migraine Study II.

Who gets migraines? Boys experience more migraines than girls prior to puberty, however, after age 11 girls begin to experience the majority of migraine headaches.

The increase in the incidence of migraine in girls over boys continues to rise until adulthood when women experience migraine headaches 3 to 1 over men.

Why do so many more women than men suffer from migraine headaches? While it is improbable that sex hormones can completely explain the difference, there is significant evidence that there may be a connection between migraines and fluctuations in estrogen levels in women. The problem appears to be the response of the central nervous system to normal hormonal fluctuations. Women who suffer from migraines should understand that hormonal fluctuations are normal.

Will oral contraceptives (OCs) help women with migraines? Or will migraines become worse? Most women who have had previous migraines will not see a significant change in their headache pattern after beginning oral contraceptives; however, they may see an increase in the severity of migraines during the pill-free week. Women who use oral contraceptives may be surprised to learn that OCs may actually be a trigger for migraine. Some women may find their migraines are alleviated after starting oral contraceptives, while others find their migraine attacks are getting worse premenstrually.

Are there any risks for women who use OCs and suffer from migraine headaches? This a subject of much discussion because of the increased risk of stroke in women who use oral contraceptives. The risk of stoke in migraine patients appears to be higher in women who use OCs, have high blood pressure, and/or smoke. This is particularly true with the older high-dose oral contraceptives. The best advice for women who have migraines and want to use oral contraceptives is to use the lowest effective dose of estrogen because the risk appears to be estrogen-related, rather than progestin-related.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Launch of Migraine Research Foundation Launches with Announcement of First Annual Research Grants

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 09:41:00 -0800

More than 30 million Americans suffer from migraine, yet research into the causes of migraine is both severely underfunded and neglected. Recently, the Migraine Research Foundation officially launched its efforts to address the lack of research in this field by announcing the first annual research grants awarded by the Foundation. The Foundation is awarding nearly $200,000 in grants for 2007 and plans to more than double the grant amounts to at least $500,000 in 2008.

Founded by Stephen Semlitz and Cathy Glaser, whose family has struggled with the devastating effects of migraine for many years, the Migraine Research Foundation is dedicated to funding research that will end the debilitating pain of migraine that afflicts millions of men, women and children.

Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine. American employers lose more than $13 billion each year as a result of 113 million lost work days due to headache or migraine. The lack of research into migraine is astonishing considering the widespread impact and consequences that this devastating condition has on American families and businesses. Over 10% of all Americans, including children, suffer from migraine, and nearly one in four households includes someone with migraine.

Guiding the efforts of the Migraine Research Foundation is a medical advisory board that includes leading neurologists and scientists from across the country and is chaired by Dr. Joel Saper, Clinical Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at Michigan State University and Director of the Michigan Headache & Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

For more information, visit migraineresearchfoundation.org

Genetic testing may help in severe type of migraine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:30:00 -0800

People who suffer from sporadic hemiplegic migraine (SHM) -- a rare, often severe subtype of migraine in which attacks are associated with a weakness affecting one side of the body -- may want to consider genetic testing, researchers suggest.

Their suggestion is based on a study in which they found "familial genes" for this type of migraine in people who did not have family members experiencing the problem.

Researchers noted that most people with SHM are "initially diagnosed with epilepsy, stroke or other disorders and are treated accordingly with non-effective medications that are associated with a high risk of side effects rather than with effective agents to treat migraine."

Genetic testing in people with this type of sporadic migraine may help to enable counseling and prevent unnecessary treatment with potentially harmful drugs, the researchers suggest.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Depression Common In Headache Sufferers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 13:02:00 -0800

I was interested in a recent article that I found on the Web which stated that major depression occurs very frequently among patients with chronic headaches.

A research team from the University of Tsukuba, Japan studied 177 consecutive adult primary-care patients whose main illness was headache, and who were seen over a 1-year period. Forty-five of the patients (25%) were found to have a major depressive episode. And the investigators saw that depression was more likely in patients who had severe headache, longer headache duration, and multiple symptoms.

For more information on this study, visit healthcentral.com

Common Migraine Triggers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 8 Dec 2007 12:54:00 -0800

By knowing what triggers your migraines -- and avoiding them -- you can reduce the frequency and severity of your attacks and improve your overall quality of life. Keep a detailed diary of your daily routine including eating, sleeping and exercise habits.

Some of the most common migraine triggers are:

Changes in weather or air pressure
Light
Hormone fluctuations and menstrual cycles
Certain foods
Smells, odors or fumes
Motion travel
Loud or sudden noises
Dieting and eating habits
Changes in sleeping habits
Overuse of headache pain medications
Emotional stress
Intense physical exertion

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Help for Headaches

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 5 Dec 2007 13:50:00 -0800

Here’s heady news: People who suffer from migraines and other kinds of headaches may find relief at the dentist -- yes, I did say the dentist!

The problem for many people is that due to childhood development or sometimes an injury; they grind their teeth or clench their jaws. Over time, this can wear down the teeth, which throws the jaw out of proper alignment. The muscles and teeth start fighting each other resulting in headache, jaw and face pain.

Signs you may have the condition include:

n A clicking sound when you move your jaw
n Frequent headaches, particularly on awakening
n Fatigue
n Sore face muscles
n The feeling the jaw is “locked” first thing in the morning
n Ringing in the ears
n Ears feeling “stuffed up”
n Teeth breaking easily
n Neck pain

You can learn more about neuromuscular dentistry by visiting leadingdentist.com

Early abuse may lead to migraine, depression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 12:20:00 -0800

Stressful early life events such as child abuse may make women more susceptible to migraine and depression as adults, survey findings suggest.

According to a recent study, women with migraine who had depression were twice as likely as those with migraine alone to report being sexually abused as a child. If the abuse continued beyond age 12, the women with migraine were five times more likely to report depression.

The findings are published in the medical journal Neurology.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Restless legs may be associated with migraine

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:36:00 -0800

An intolerable internal feeling of itching or creeping sensations in the legs that forces the affected person to move his or her legs to get relief, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) occurs more often in people who suffer migraines than in those free of these debilitating headaches.

According to a recent study at the University of Munster, being older and having migraine headaches for a long time seem to raise the risk of RLS. Future studies may uncover a common genetic background for both RLS and migraine.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

Migraine linked with sleep problems and fatigue

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 11:33:00 -0800

Recent findings confirm that excessive daytime sleepiness is more frequent in people who get migraines than in those who don't. However the findings tend to discount the theory that the underlying cause involves the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that produces hormones that control thirst, hunger, body temperature and sleep. Rather, the investigators suggest that problems may arise "from the complex burden" of the migraine.

"Excessive daytime sleepiness, defined as difficulty in maintaining a desired level of wakefulness, can be a disabling symptom," Dr. Piero Barbanti, of IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, and colleagues write in the journal Cephalalgia.

In a previous study, Peres et al. found that in patients with episodic or chronic migraine, a high percentage reported experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness.

"To investigate further, Barbanti's group compared sleep quality and rates of anxiety and depression in 100 patients with episodic migraine and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects used as a comparison group.

The researchers found that excessive daytime sleepiness was three-times more frequent in patients with migraine than in controls. However, the frequency was lower than previously reported (36.3 percent in episodic and 55.1 percent in chronic migraine patients).

However, a correlation was observed between excessive daytime sleepiness and migraine disability, sleep problems, and anxiety.

The excessive daytime sleepiness finding, and most important, the lack of correlation between scores on a sleepiness scale and the presence or absence of sleepiness during the migraine attack weaken the hypothesis that the hypothalamus mediates excessive daytime sleepiness in migraine patients, Barbanti's group concludes.

Our data therefore suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness is probably a consequence of the migraine itself, and includes migraine-related disability, anxiety and sleep problems.

SOURCE: Cephalalgia, October 2007.

Injury to the neck vertebrae can cause headaches

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:32:00 -0800

In rare cases, injury to the vertebral disc in the lower neck will not only lead to neck pain and pain radiating into the arm, but also to headaches, the results of a new study indicate.

Prolapse of a vertebral disc in the lower part of the neck (cervical spine), a condition sometimes referred to as a "slipped disc," is known to cause a variety of symptoms.

The cervical disc protrudes and compresses a portion of the spinal cord, causing pain that may limit neck movement. The pain radiates through the shoulder into the arm, and numbness or paralysis of the fingers may also occur.

Now, investigators add headache to the list of possible symptoms.

Their report indicates that the headache, along with the other types of pain, "improves or resolves after successful surgery," Dr. Hans C. Diener of University Duisburg-Essen, Germany, told Reuters Health.

Therefore, patients with a headache that coincides with neck pain and pain radiating into one arm should undergo MRI of the cervical spine, Diener said.

In the journal Cephalagia this month, Diener and colleagues report that 12 of 50 (24 percent) patients with disc prolapse in one of the lower cervical discs complained of new-onset neck pain and headache, compared with 2 of 50 (4 percent) another group of patients with a disc injury in the lower back.

Seven of the 12 (58 percent) patients with headache fulfilled 3 out of 4 International Headache Society criteria for cervicogenic headache (or headache emanating from the upper spine). The headaches in the two patients with the lower back injuries did not meet these criteria.

As mentioned, the physicians also found that removal of the prolapsed disc by surgery led to a significant reduction or disappearance of pain and headache in 80 percent of patients. The pain was relieved 1 week after surgery and was still gone after 3 months, they note.

Diener's team points out that cervicogenic headache caused by irritation or pressure to the upper cervical disc has been "well described." The current findings now suggest that pain in the lower cervical roots can converge with other nerves to cause pain extending through the arm and into the head, the researchers conclude.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com