Headaches

Headaches are one of the most common complaints that patients make to their physicians. Headaches can be mild and intermittent or severe, chronic, and daily, and anywhere in between. Headaches can be debilitating as they can interfere significantly with normal activities of daily living. Serious causes of headaches must be first evaluated and ruled out and are typically done by your Primary Care Physician and/or a neurologist. It is important to first assess whether there is an underlying cause for the headaches. When a serious or life threatening cause for headaches cannot be found, less serious causes should be investigated. Headaches can also be caused by cervical (neck) problems (cervicogenic headaches) and occasionally by shoulder injuries. When headache symptoms persist there are a number of different treatment options available; these are typically directed at the underlying cause of symptoms. For instance, if the pain is coming from the neck, treatment directed at the neck will cause secondary improvement of the headaches. In other situations the headaches are the primary problem and may be treated with therapeutic interventions such as occipital nerve blocks, Botox injections, and in more recalcitrant cases occipital nerve stimulation.