Headache in the eyebrow area: causes, recommendations for elimination

Etiology [causes]

The skull contains ducts and sinuses, and a large number of them are concentrated in the eye area, between and above them. A conclusion about the cause of pain can be made based on the location of its occurrence.

Diseases are divided into:

• pathologies of a neurological nature;
• infectious pathologies.

The latter can also be divided into diseases of the central nervous system and ENT organs. In the first case we are talking about meningitis and encephalitis, the second group includes sinusitis, sinusitis, frontal sinusitis and others.

Depending on what disease caused it, the pain can be different - acute, dull, constant, paroxysmal, manifested when pressed, etc. In addition to diseases, the cause of pain can be traumatic exposure.

Let's take a closer look at the reasons why pain occurs:

• Meningitis and encephalitis have similar symptoms: high fever, stiff neck, body aches. As soon as your body temperature rises sharply, you should definitely consult a doctor.
• Migraine is a disease that has a genetic predisposition that is inherited. As patients diagnosed with this disease testify, pain in the eyebrow area is the first sign of an attack, along with lethargy, yawning, drowsiness, and weakness. Its further manifestations are the appearance of severe, prolonged pain, spreading in the area from one or both eyebrows through the temples to the back of the head. Subsequently, the pain covers the entire head; it is of such a sharp and unbearable nature that a person can both feel sick and vomit.
• Vascular cervical disease . Its essence is that the walls of the cervical vessels become overgrown with cholesterol plaques, so oxygen does not reach the head well, since blood circulation slows down. Due to chronic hypoxia, damage to hearing and vision occurs - their acuity decreases, and after this painful sensations appear around the eyes.
• Inflammation of the facial sinuses , such as sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, sinusitis, develop due to the fact that various harmful bacteria appear in the body. Inflammation of the mucous membrane results in pain, which is concentrated both above and below the eyebrow, as well as in the area under the eyes. The pain differs from other types in that it intensifies when pressed. In some cases, it is accompanied by an increase in temperature, loss of smell, and the appearance of a fear of light.
• Head injury . This is a very dangerous type of injury, because it is the facial part that is “stuffed” with a large number of sinuses and ducts. As a rule, facial injuries are accompanied by severe bleeding, because there are a large number of blood vessels concentrated here. If it was not possible to avoid infection in the wound area, it is very easy for it to reach the central nervous system. It is extremely important to properly provide first aid to a patient who has received such an injury before the doctor arrives: stop the bleeding, wash the wound (if possible, disinfect it), and bandage it.
• Pinched nerve in the back of the head . This happens when the work of the neck muscles is disrupted. Pain in the superciliary ridges, referred from the occipital region. The pain is as strong as during a migraine attack, but its direction is the opposite - from the back of the head to the eyebrows.
• Increased intracranial pressure . As a rule, experienced patients know that they have hypertension. It will not go away on its own, only if it is benign.
• Another disease is trigeminal neuralgia . If present, pain above the eye in the eyebrow area may appear and disappear over several years. Treatment in this situation does not help; an MRI of the head is necessary to exclude the possibility of oncology.

There are also cases when pain in the eyebrow area is not pathological. They are a consequence of how a person lives:

• alcohol poisoning;
• smoking – vasospasm and, as a result, hypoxia;
• incorrectly compiled nutrition menu, excess fatty, fried and spicy foods;
• mental stress;
• prolonged and constant activity at a computer monitor.

Allergy

The brow ridges hurt when pressed with hay fever, reactions of individual intolerance to food products, hygiene products, plant pollen, animal hair. In this case, inflammatory exudate accumulates in the nasal cavity, as well as in the paranasal sinuses.

The allergy is manifested by lacrimation, pain in the eyes, sneezing, coughing, and sometimes swelling of the nasopharynx and larynx, which can be dangerous due to the development of Quincke's edema and suffocation. Therefore, at the first symptoms you should consult a doctor.

In case of allergies, antihistamines are used: Erius, Cetirizine, Suprastin. In more severe cases, adrenaline and glucocorticoid drugs are used to relieve laryngospasm and anaphylactic shock.

Symptoms

Pain in the eyebrow or eye socket is one of a significant number of symptoms. This may be the main or side manifestation of the disease.

If you experience pain around the eye or eyebrow, symptoms such as:

• swelling of the nasal mucosa, runny nose;
• fear of light;
• swelling of one or both eyelids;
• noise in ears;
• dizziness, sometimes leading to vomiting;
• ocular hemorrhage;
• insomnia;
• chronic fatigue;
• loss of control over your body.

Doctors and diagnostics

The first doctor you should contact if the eyebrow or eye area hurts is a therapist. He gives directions for examination and consultations with other doctors. This could be an otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist or surgeon (traumatologist). In case of injury, the person must also be examined by an infectious disease specialist.

A certain number of examinations will be carried out: a blood test is taken, an x-ray of the nasal sinuses is taken. The ophthalmologist will examine the patient's fundus, and the otolaryngologist, if necessary, will take a sample of the nasal mucosa and possibly probe his sinuses. In a situation where the doctor suspects the presence of meningitis, a cerebrospinal puncture will be taken. You may need a CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance therapy) of the head, and a neurologist will refer you for an EEG (electroencephalogram).

Blood supply problems

The head has a developed network of blood vessels that supply the face, brain, and eyes. If blood circulation is impaired, pain may occur. Symptoms may appear after taking oral contraceptives, during pregnancy, when there is a tendency to blood clots. Stress causes vasoconstriction, which interferes with normal blood circulation and causes pain.

It is important to understand why headaches occur during poisoning: causes, treatment.

Note: why computer headaches occur and how to prevent them.

Everything about headaches behind the ears: causes, symptoms.

Treatment

Only a doctor can cure the disease after an accurate diagnosis has been made. Self-medicating with these symptoms can be very dangerous. The maximum that can be done for the patient, if the pain is very severe, is to take a pain reliever that does not require a doctor's prescription - any ibuprofen - containing medicine.

If the patient knows that the cause of the pain lies in vascular spasm, he should take an antispasmodic - Spazmalgon, Novigan, Pentalgin-N, Tempalgin.

When it comes to cold or hot compresses, you need to be extremely careful. If it is sinusitis, any heating can aggravate the disease; If the pain is caused by a cold nerve, a cold compress can make it worse.

Treatment is prescribed by the doctor who made the diagnosis. If the pain above the eyebrow is associated with diseases of the ENT organs, an otolaryngologist will treat it. Once the identified disease is eliminated, the disturbing pain will also go away. The same applies to other diseases.

Drug therapy

Treatment of a particular disease is prescribed in strict accordance with the diagnosis that was made to the patient. This could be a recommendation to reduce the rhythm of life, limit work at the computer, or take antibacterial agents.

In particularly advanced cases, for example, with sinusitis, surgical intervention may be indicated.

NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a group of drugs that are used to provide first aid to patients suffering from pain of unknown etiology. These drugs simultaneously have analgesic and minor anti-inflammatory effects.

NSAIDs include medications containing the following substances:

• metamizole sodium;
• acetylsalicylic acid;
• paracetamol;
• ibuprofen;
• nimesulide.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs include:

• Analgin;
• Aspirin;
• Nurofen;
• Paracetamol;
• Nise, Dolgit.

The drugs are characterized by a small number of side effects, as well as a pronounced analgesic effect. If you take tablets to relieve spasms together with them, you can quickly get rid of pain associated with narrowing of the vascular walls.

We recommend reading: How to use basma to tint eyebrows at home?

Caffeinated products

If there are disturbances in the normal functioning of blood vessels, it can be difficult to do without the use of caffeine-containing products. These are complex preparations that simultaneously contain several components:

• Tetralgin;
• Pentalgin;
• Citramon.

Every person taking such medications must understand that their use is a temporary measure to relieve acute manifestations of the disease. After symptoms are relieved, if they still recur periodically, you should definitely seek help from a doctor in order to establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe adequate therapy.

Sedatives

The use of sedatives is indicated in the presence of pain caused by excessive nervous tension, constant exposure to stressful situations, and a large amount of physical and mental activity.

Sedative medications should be prescribed by a doctor only if there are strict indications, with a carefully selected dosage regimen.

Taking such drugs at your own discretion, without medical supervision, is strictly prohibited.

Sedatives

In order to calm the nervous system, a specialist may prescribe the patient to take sedative medications. They relieve a person of stress, which is most often the cause of unpleasant sensations in the bridge of the nose.

Experts recommend taking the following medications:

• Afobazole;
• Phenibut;
• Novo-Passit;
• Persen;
• Sanason-Lek.

Prevention

Before talking about preventive measures, it is still necessary to establish why these symptoms arose. Once the doctor has made a diagnosis and the patient has undergone treatment, you can focus your efforts on preventing similar diseases in the future.

If this is not possible, for example, a migraine is diagnosed, from which, as we know, cannot be cured, you need to carefully monitor the approach of an attack. As soon as the first signs appear (and every person suffering from migraines unmistakably recognizes their appearance), you need to ensure peace and quiet, take the painkiller prescribed by the doctor, and try to stop the attack. This is especially true for people whose attacks are accompanied by the so-called “aura” - visual flashes and intolerance to light and sound.

Prevention of colds at all times was hardening, as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle - quitting smoking, walking in the fresh air - both hiking and skiing, playing sports, eating healthy, balanced food. In addition, knowing your predisposition to colds, it is better - again after consulting a doctor - to take a course of vitamins that increase the level of immunity before the start of the ARVI and flu season. It is very useful to include foods rich in vitamin C in your diet - lemon, cranberries, lingonberries, rose hips.

Bibliography

When writing the article, the therapist used the following materials:

• Neurostomatology: neuroanatomy of the face, facial pain [Text]: textbook for students of dental and medical faculties / Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Samara State Medical University" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, compiled by Kalinin V. A. [et al.]. - Samara: Etching, 2017. - 58 p. ISBN 978-5-473-01138-8
• Classification of headaches, cranial neuralgia and facial pain and diagnostic criteria for the main types of headache: [Transl. from English] / Classification com. on headaches International. headache islands; [Scient. ed. and ed. preface A. A. Shutov]. - Perm: ALGOS-press, 1997. - 92 p. ISBN 5-88493-017-8: B. c.
• Korotkikh, Nikolai Grigorievich Clinic, diagnosis, treatment of facial pain / N. G. Korotkikh, I. N. Lesnikova. - Voronezh: New Look, 2008. - 128 p. ISBN 978-5-93737-037-2
• Batishcheva, Elena Ivanovna Facial and oral pain [Text]: educational manual / E. I. Batishcheva, A. A. Kopytov, A. V. Tsimbalistov; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Belgorod State National Research University". - Belgorod: National Research University "BelSU", 2021. - 61 p. ISBN 978-5-9571-2211-1
• Pain syndromes in neurological practice / ed. A. M. Veina. M.: MEDpress-inform, 2001. 368 p.
• Tovazhnyanskaya, E. L. Trigeminal neuralgia: modern aspects of complex therapy / E. L. Tovazhnyanskaya // International Neurological Journal. 2010. No. 3 (33). pp. 141–145.
• Stagnieva, Irina Veniaminovna Clinical manifestation and immunopathogenesis of facial pain in diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses: abstract of thesis. ... Doctor of Medical Sciences: 01/14/03, 03/14/09 / Stagnieva Irina Veniaminovna; [Place of protection: St. Petersburg. scientific research Institute of Ear, Throat, Nose and Speech]. — Rostov-on-Don, 2021. — 50 p.