Headaches the most common form of acute pain. This medical symptom is characterized by pain in the head or upper neck. Headaches can also be considered a chronic condition if they recur frequently. However, most people experience them sporadically and unpredictably. Most headaches are easily treated through relaxation, the elimination of stress or an analgesic medication. The best treatment for headache will vary by the cause of the headache and by the type of headache.

Causes of Headaches
The most common cause of headaches is tension. Tension can cause tightness in the head that can be felt in the front, back or base of the head near the neck. The tension that causes the headache may result from the tightening of facial, scalp and/or neck muscles. New research shows that the tension can also come about through chemical changes that take place in the brain.

Headaches may also be caused by migraines. Migraines usually cause severe headaches that can last for days on end. Migraines are often accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to outside stimulation. The exact reason why people suffer from migraine headaches is unknown, but it can be due to fluctuations in hormone levels, disruptions in sleep stress or eating certain foods. Most migraines can be treated with prescription pain medications, but some patients are unresponsive to standard pain killers.

Headaches can be caused by many other conditions or situations. Eating at irregular times can cause headaches due to low blood pressure. Eye strain is another leading cause of headaches because many people spend so much time watching video screens. If you do not drink adequate amounts of water, dehydration or heat exhaustion can cause headaches often accompanied by fatigue. Any form of stress or the overuse of muscles in many parts of the body has been the cause of headaches in some people.

Types of Headaches
Types of headaches fall into one of five medically accepted categories. These categories are as follows:
• Vascular Headache – This type is the result of blood vessels that are experiencing high pressure.
• Migraine Headache – Migraine headaches are also usually caused by high blood pressure in the vessels in and near the head.
• Myogenic Headache – This type is caused by the muscles tightening in the head, neck and back.
• Cervico genic Headache – This is caused by trauma to the spine.
• Inflammatory Headache – This is the most severe type of headache. It is caused by nerves in the head being squeezed by a tumor or hematoma.