What are chronic headaches and migraines?

Although it's normal to experience headaches from time to time, a headache that lasts for days is labelled a chronic headache. A chronic headache lasts over 15 days per month and occurs continuously for three consecutive months.

Chronic migraines affect people with a history of periodic migraines.

What are the signs?

• A chronic migraine affects one or both sides of the head.
• A throbbing sensation on the side of the head.
• Moderate to severe head pain.
• Nausea/vomiting.
• Extremely sensitive to sounds and light.

Hemicrania continua is classified as a unilateral chronic headache that lasts longer than three months, resulting in the following:

• Pain that hones on one side of the head.
• Daily, persistent pain without a single moment of relief.
• Moderate head pain with periods of intense pain.
• Severe pain with symptoms similar to a migraine.
• Redness or watery discharge from a single eye on the affected side of the head.
• Runny or congested nose.
• Sagging eyelid.
• Restlessness.

What causes chronic headaches and migraines?

The following can ignite the development of chronic headaches:

• An infection affecting the membranes (meninges) of the brain (meningitis).
• Low or extremely high intracranial pressure.
• The formation of a brain tumour.
• A head injury that affects the brain.

How does a neurologist treat chronic headaches and migraines?

Treatment focuses on addressing the underlying cause of the headache. However, if Dr Naidoo cannot determine an underlying condition, he will focus on preventing pain in the future through the following preventative measures:

• Antidepressants are taken to relieve chronic headache pain. In addition, these types of medications are used to treat sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression that co-occur with chronic headaches.
• Beta-blockers are medications that resolve high blood pressure and periodic migraines.
• Anti-seizure medicines are prescribed to treat migraine pain and chronic headaches.

Biofeedback is a way of managing chronic headaches by becoming aware of the pain and changing how the body responds to this by controlling muscle tension, skin temperature and heart rate.