Types of headaches and mechanisms of its development
Headache can be a complication after using the following pain relief methods:
- after spinal anesthesia;
- after epidural anesthesia;
- after general anesthesia, in which the anesthetic is injected into a vein, or endotracheally.
After anesthesia, headache is a companion for more than half of patients
The headache may be accompanied by dizziness. Some patients simply feel dizzy. Moreover, she begins to feel dizzy when she suddenly tries to sit up, after waking up from general anesthesia.
Most often, patients have a headache that is aching and bursting in nature, and intensifies with sudden movements of the head or loud sounds.
One type of headache that occurs after general anesthesia is migraine. It refers to late types of complications after anesthesia. Patients complain of severe pain in half of the head, which is often preceded by dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Migraine may remain with the patient for a long period. It is difficult to say how long it will take for it to be completely cured. Migraine is the most unpleasant form of headache, as it is very difficult to treat with medication.
Typically, headache after general or spinal anesthesia develops due to a decrease in blood and intracranial pressure, and severe dehydration of the patient.
Types of pain relief
Before the operation, the anesthesiologist, taking into account all the characteristics of the body and past diseases, selects the type of anesthesia. There are several types of pain relief:
- Epidural anesthesia. This is the introduction of an anesthetic fluid into the epidural space of the spine without damaging the dura mater of the spinal cord. The occurrence of headaches after anesthesia is excluded. Spinal anesthesia is used, for example, during childbirth.
- General anesthesia. A complete loss of consciousness occurs; if necessary, a special tube is inserted into the trachea for breathing. There is no pain or discomfort at all.
- Spinal anesthesia. The use of spinal anesthesia is recommended if necessary to numb the lower part of the body (lower limbs, pelvic organs). The needle is inserted into the lumbar region, through the hard shell of the spinal cord, and part of the cerebrospinal fluid is removed. The injection is made into the subarachnoid space.
With any type of anesthesia, much depends on the professionalism of the anesthesiologist - preparation for the operation should be carried out by an experienced doctor.
Is it possible to prevent the development of this complication?
Since more than half of all patients have headaches, doctors are taking measures to prevent the development of this complication.
During the operation, doctors do everything possible to alleviate the postoperative condition
To prevent headaches, anesthesiologists need to do the following manipulations:
- Monitor blood pressure levels. One of the main tasks of an anesthesiologist during an operation is to control and maintain pressure at optimal or slightly elevated levels. It tends to sharply decrease, especially during spinal anesthesia.
- Prevent the development of dehydration. Throughout the operation and in the postoperative period, patients undergo intravenous administration of saline and colloid solutions. With their help, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance in the blood are prevented.
In the postoperative period, the patients themselves must strictly follow the recommendations of the attending physician. On the first day, you should not get out of bed abruptly. You also need to drink a sufficient amount of fluid, previously agreed with your doctor.
How many days do you have a headache after spinal anesthesia?
There is no clear answer to the question of how long headaches last after spinal anesthesia. Everything depends, as we have already said, on how much cerebrospinal fluid the body has lost in particular, and on the individual characteristics of the patient in general. As a rule, such headaches go away within a day; if they last for a long time, additional measures are required to prevent painful sensations.
On the first day after the use of spinal anesthesia, doctors recommend that in order to reduce discomfort, stay in a horizontal position as much as possible and drink enough fluid, at least two liters. If the question arises of how to relieve severe headaches after spinal anesthesia with the help of medications, let’s take painkillers such as paracetamol, citramon. Caffeine has a good effect. By the way, it is precisely because of the caffeine content that drinks such as tea, coffee and Coca-Cola relieve the condition.
Principles of treatment
When you have a headache, it is very difficult to concentrate and relax. Something must be done about this complication. If your head hurts for more than one week after surgery, you should contact your doctor and find out why this is happening.
If you have a persistent headache, you should consult a doctor.
You can get rid of headaches with the following medications:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Paracetamol, Nimesulide and Celecoxib.
- Analgesics: Analgin, Baralgin, Ketorolac or Ketanov.
- Antispasmodics: Nosh-pa, Spazmalgon.
Their use must be discussed with your doctor. Since they may not be compatible with the medications that the patient is already taking, or they may harm the weakened body after surgery.
It must be remembered that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics negatively affect the gastric mucosa. They should be taken only after a large meal. Their use is prohibited for people with gastritis or peptic ulcers.
Features of pain syndrome in children
Children develop pain syndrome as often as adults. But body pain in children needs to be taken more seriously. This is due to their physiological characteristics.
The body of a young child is not yet able to fully perceive a number of drugs. He has not yet fully developed the enzymatic system, which normally in adults processes and removes medications that enter the body. As a result, body pain in a child may be a consequence of intoxication with anesthesia drugs.
Children are also susceptible to pain, but it is more difficult for doctors to determine the degree of pain in a child
It is also difficult for doctors to assess the severity of pain in young children. Such patients can express their pain only by crying and mental agitation. Anesthesiologists have special tables by which they assess the severity of pain in infants, but they are not always indicative.
Another feature of the child’s body is poor tolerance to narcotic painkillers, which are usually used in adults during the postoperative period. These drugs take twice as long to be eliminated by the child's body and can suppress the respiratory center. As a result, it is difficult to fully anesthetize a child after surgery.
Do not forget about the higher susceptibility of the child’s body to infectious diseases. They are more likely to develop hospital-acquired pneumonia and urinary tract infections.
Folk remedies
Why not use folk remedies to relieve a headache attack? Most of them are safer than known analgesics. But it is better to use folk remedies after consulting a doctor, since many of them are in no way inferior in power to ready-made medications.
You can fight headaches with folk remedies
Below are the main folk remedies that can be used to relieve a headache attack:
- Tea with mint. Pour a teaspoon of mint into a glass of boiling water and leave to steep for several hours. You need to drink 100 ml of this tea before bed. It has a good effect on the functioning of the central nervous system, calming a person and eliminating vascular spasm.
- Fresh juice of berries such as viburnum, currants, blueberries can be drunk to relieve pain, half a glass 2 times a day after the main meal. These berries contain a high concentration of vitamin C and antioxidants; they regulate the functioning of the central nervous system.
- Hot foot baths are a time-tested remedy for migraines and headaches. Blood “leaves” from the head and flows to the legs, thereby relieving tension in the vessels of the brain.
Headache is the most common complication of general and spinal anesthesia. It occurs due to decreased arterial blood pressure and general dehydration of the entire body. When treating this complication, you can use medications and folk remedies. Before taking them, you should consult your doctor.
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How to prevent headaches after anesthesia
Administration of anesthesia is a rather complex and responsible task that requires a high level of training of the responsible medical worker, as well as increased concentration. Therefore, before you trust a doctor, you need to find out more about both the degree of his qualifications and the reputation of the medical institution. After all, complications after anesthesia, more serious than headaches, often occur precisely because of a medical error.
In addition, the following factors will help minimize discomfort after anesthesia:
- Proper patient preparation. Experts recommend stopping eating, drinking, and smoking about eight hours before anesthesia. You will need to calm down, tune in to a positive outcome of the operation, and not be nervous.
- Optimal location for anesthetic injection. The main condition is complete immobility. The delivery of this information by the doctor is of decisive importance here. Sometimes unaware patients turn from side to side or twitch in fear of pain.
- To minimize the development of pathological symptoms, the doctor must constantly maintain normal blood pressure in the patient. Low levels especially contribute to headaches.
- Selecting appropriate needles for administering medications. Preventing the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid will help keep the patient feeling normal.
- Complete rest after surgery. The patient must remain in bed for at least three days. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to make sudden movements, twist or raise your head. In addition, the patient will need to drink at least two and a half liters of clean still water daily.
