Almost every person has experienced attacks of cephalalgia (headache). Pressing, squeezing, boring pain that encircles the entire head speaks of many diseases. Rarely does anyone attach special importance to it if there are no other symptoms. A painkiller tablet eliminates the unpleasant syndrome, and it is forgotten for a long time. What to do when you have a headache in one spot and you can clearly point to the sore spot?
What are the signs
Specific symptoms of pinpoint pain include:
- It occurs unexpectedly, resembling a needle prick.
- Lasts 1-10 seconds and returns several times a day.
- The sensations are so piercing that they force a person to freeze in one place or wake up from sleep if the attack happened at night.
- It appears strictly in a certain area, but is sometimes capable of wandering.
- Any part of the head can suffer: temples, eye area, ears, frontal lobe.
It has been proven that point pain is not differentiated from symptoms of pathologies of internal organs and is considered primary. This condition can be triggered by bright light, freezing, stress, anxiety, and sudden movements. In exceptional cases, pain may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness, lacrimation, and the appearance of spots before the eyes. Doctors include cephalalgia caused by injuries, bruises, vascular pathologies, and brain tumors as secondary pain.
Pain in the head at one point is not common. According to statistics, no more than 3% of people over 45 experience such sensations. Patients describe it differently. For some it has the character of a pulsating burning sensation, for others it feels like a flash of light, for others it feels like an icy prick. Among the causes that provoke wandering point pain are: periodic ophthalmodynia (pain in the eyes), histamine, tension cephalalgia, pain caused by neuritis and migraine.
Painful point on the foot. 21 points on the feet, massage of which improves well-being
- On our feet there are projection zones of many internal organs, by acting on which we can improve our well-being.
- It is recommended to massage the feet as a whole, rather than individual points. First, your feet need to be stretched and warmed up: walk barefoot, rise on your toes several times, take a warm foot bath.
- Rub the entire foot with stroking movements, then begin to press on each active point (3-7 seconds), moving from the toes to the heel. Also use techniques such as pulling (when massaging your fingers), tapping (with the edge of your palm), pinching, and kneading.
- In the process, you may discover pain points. This means that the organs for which they are responsible are not in order. These points need to be massaged with special care.
- The technique of influencing painful areas is pressure (with the thumb), which must be alternated with pauses, and the whole process should take at least a minute. The result of a properly performed massage is the disappearance of pain.
- The following contraindications exist for foot massage: high temperature, impaired blood clotting, exacerbation of chronic diseases, deep scratches or injuries on the surface of the feet.
Bright Side will show you the most important points and tell you how to massage them to always feel 100%.
Periodic ophthalmodynia
Primary ophthalmodynia is localized in the vertex, temporal, orbital region and can manifest itself in several places simultaneously. The exact causes and physical pathologies causing the attacks have not yet been found. A possible factor in its appearance includes vasoconstriction due to constant tension in the muscles of the neck and head. In this case, the brain cells do not receive oxygen in full.
Cephalgia occurs spontaneously and lasts 1-3 seconds without other symptoms, both before and after the attack. The injections are felt where the head hurts during migraine attacks.
Histamine (cluster) cephalalgia
Occurs in 1.5% of the population. An intense headache at one point can bother a person for several months in a row, affecting the area of the temples and eye sockets. The attack lasts from a minute to 3 hours. Pain at night can wake a person. Main features:
- Nasal congestion with mucus discharge.
- Tearing of the eye on the side where the headache hurts.
- Nausea, dizziness.
- Excruciating pain syndrome, after which the patient needs time to recover.
This type of pain can be provoked by strong noise, cold, or bright light. Men are susceptible to cluster pain (about 90% of cases). The causes of such pain may be:
- Brain tumors.
- Aneurysms.
- Hematomas.
- Alcohol intoxication.
- Taking certain medications.
To accurately establish the diagnosis, doctors refer the patient for histamine testing. 0.01 mg of histamine is injected intravenously and wait 3 minutes. If the head does not hurt, then another 0.03 mg is administered. The result will be positive if typical unilateral cephalgia appears.
Tension cephalgia
When a person has a headache in one place, tension pain can be suspected. It occurs due to strong experiences, head injuries, bruises and lasts from 30 minutes to several days, intensifying in the evening. Characteristic features:
- Starts on one side of the skull.
- Manifests itself in the frontal, cervical, and temporal zones.
- The patient feels as if the head is being squeezed all around.
- It can “shoot” in the shoulders, chest, and neck.
- Body muscle tension increases.
Tension pain is similar to a migraine, but with it a person does not react sharply to external stimuli: cold, noise, bright lighting, sunlight. Pain syndrome occurs due to lack of sleep, overwork, and stress.
Painful point on the abdomen. Pain points in the head and neck area
- pain points of exit of the I, II, III branches of the trigeminal nerve - with neuralgia of this nerve, sinusitis, meningism and meningitis, arachnoiditis (absent in comas);
- Greenstein's vascular pain points: at the inner corner of the orbit - with phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the facial veins; behind the ears in the area of the tubercles of the occipital bone - with vasomotor pathologies of cerebral vessels, meningitis;
- pain points in the temple area above the zygomatic process - with arteritis and sympathalgia of the face, leptomeningitis;
- pain points in the area of the mastoid process, in front and downward from the tragus of the ear - with neuritis and neuralgia of the facial nerve, otitis, mastoiditis;
- pain points at the base of the skull above the first cervical vertebra at the exit point of the occipital nerves - with neuralgia of these nerves, cervical osteochondrosis, meningitis, tumors of the cerebellopontine zone;
- pain points of the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae, intervertebral discs, paravertebral - for osteochondrosis, herniated intervertebral discs;
- pain points of the vertebral artery on the line connecting the apexes of the mastoid process and the spinous process of the second cervical vertebra - with pathology of the vertebral artery and cardialgia of various origins.
Neuritis
Inflammation that destroys the structure of the nerves is called neuritis. The disease occurs when:
- Infectious and viral diseases.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Cancerous neoplasms.
- Weakened immunity.
This is a serious disorder that can impair visual acuity, hearing, and intelligibility of speech. Neuritis is always accompanied by point pain in the head. Usually it stings in the head on the side where the inflammation is localized.
Migraine
Migraine is a neurological disorder with unbearable pulsating attacks concentrated in one area of the skull. Women suffer most from migraines. Pain can be caused by:
- Insomnia.
- Sudden change in weather or climatic conditions.
- Taking contraceptives.
- Overvoltage.
- Poor nutrition.
- Drinking alcohol.
You can understand that a headache at one point is caused by a migraine by the pronounced symptoms:
- Headache in one area.
- The painful sensation gradually increases.
- The face turns red.
- On the eve of an attack, the patient may experience circles, zigzags, and dots before the eyes.
- The pain syndrome is felt in the temporal and frontal parts on one side.
- With sudden movement, light, noise, the pain intensifies.
- Nausea or vomiting may occur.
- General weakness and tingling in the limbs appear.
This is a chronic disease transmitted through the female line. Attacks, both mild and severe, can be repeated daily.
Provoking diseases
When your head constantly shoots, the reasons for this condition can be very diverse. Sometimes they are harmless: starvation, overwork, hypothermia. But there are also serious reasons that are life-threatening: oncology, stroke.
Shooting in the head is considered a sign of various neuritis.
In medicine, there is a term - shooting cranialgia. Acute painful sensations at one point are not considered an independent disease.
Diseases with symptoms of shooting cranialgia:
- neuralgia of the intermediate nerve - in this condition the autonomic ganglia are affected;
- many types of neuritis - lumbago cause damage to peripheral nerves;
- ischemic attacks and aneurysms - problems with blood vessels;
- inflammatory processes in the orbit - diseases affecting the organs of vision;
- cervical osteochondrosis – pinching of the spinal nerves;
- arthrosis of the mandibular joints – inflammatory pathologies of the facial areas;
- tumors - the problem manifested itself near the nerve trunks;
- psychogenic lesions - irritation of the facial nerves;
- sinusitis, sinusitis and acute otitis are inflammatory processes.
These are the most common diseases, but it is difficult to describe all diseases with similar manifestations.
Treatment methods
When you have an unbearable headache at one point, doctors advise taking Indomethacin, Melatonin (or Gabapentin). Indomethacin eliminates pain in the head in 65% of patients, relieving muscle inflammation. Melatonin, which regulates the circadian rhythm of hormones, has a beneficial effect on brain function, strengthens sleep, improves memory and concentration.
Important! Prescribing the drug to yourself is strictly prohibited. Only a specialist can determine the course of treatment and dosage. Both drugs have many side effects and contraindications.
Treatment of periodic ophthalmodynia
Typically, primary stabbing pain is not treated, since episodic attacks quickly pass without affecting the patient’s well-being and activity. If the pain recurs frequently, take painkillers to relieve tension. In such cases, the patient needs to undergo an examination in order to find out the cause of the regular occurrence of pain.
Treatment of histamine and tension pain
Acute attacks of histamine cephalgia are relieved by intravenous administration of dihydroergotamines and triptans, which reduce arterial tone and tonic peripheral vessels. A lidocaine solution is dripped into the nasal passage. Oxygen masks and antihistamines have a calming effect.
Tension point pain in the head is treated with antidepressants, since the main cause of its occurrence is stress, anxiety and anxiety. Experts advise patients to take Paracetamol to relieve inflammation, and to do gymnastics, developing the muscles of the neck, chest and shoulders. If therapy does not have a positive effect, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
During an attack, a cold compress is applied to the head to relieve pain. The patient needs to remove allergenic foods (citrus fruits, condensed milk, smoked meats, honey, peanuts) from his diet.
Treatment of cephalalgia with neuritis
You can escape from this type of cephalgia by curing the disease that provokes it. Neuritis is treated:
- Glucocorticoids (Metypred, Decortin).
- Diuretics (hypothiazide, torasemide).
- Vasodilator drugs.
- Vitamin therapy.
- Courses UHF, Ural Federal District.
- Massage, exercise therapy.
Migraine treatment
The stabbing pain in the head goes away if the patient gets enough sleep and rest. Painkillers do not always relieve headaches. They are often taken when the attack is in full swing, and the effect of the drug comes later. Doctors advise to relieve pain syndromes with Papazol, Sedalgin, Nurofen. When prescribing medications, the frequency and severity of attacks are taken into account.
A warming bath or hot shower, ventilating the room, maintaining peace, comfort and silence, and rubbing essential oils into the temples help a lot. An excellent way to eliminate migraines is acupressure, which you can do yourself.
For pain in the forehead, gently massage the point above the bridge of the nose for 5-10 seconds. Temporal pain is relieved by simultaneously pressing on 3 points.
- The first is located above the outer edge of the eyebrow.
- The second one is from the top at the base of the ear.
- The third is in the middle of the scalp.
All of them are deep and when pressed accurately, a slight feeling of pain is felt.
Prevention
The appearance of pain in one point of the head is associated with an emotional and mental state. In order to avoid another attack or significantly weaken it, it is recommended:
- Play sports, yoga.
- Sleep at least 7 hours a day.
- Eliminate preservatives and yeast from the diet, which have a vasoconstrictor effect.
- Quit alcohol and smoking.
If a point on your head constantly hurts, you feel discomfort and pronounced discomfort, you should consult a doctor. He will refer you for diagnostics to find out the true cause of the disorder.
Painful point on the left rib. Pain in the ribs
Rib pain usually refers to discomfort that occurs in the chest wall, rather than inside it. In this case, the source of discomfort is bone or cartilage tissue, adjacent muscles or nerves. Pain in the ribs can be of a different nature: it can be constant or intermittent, sudden or increasing, acute or dull. Doctors explain this diversity by a large number of underlying causes.
Pain in ribs when pressed
Sometimes an inflammatory process can occur in the cartilages that are attached to the sternum - Tietze syndrome. Pain in the ribs when pressed in this case can be quite intense and resemble symptoms of angina pectoris. In addition, attacks can occur spontaneously, without external influence. The localization of pain can be very diverse.
Tietze's disease is accompanied by additional symptoms:
- swelling in the area of the inflamed costal cartilage;
- when pressing or squeezing the sternum, the discomfort becomes stronger;
- the first attack may develop against the background of trauma.
In any case, if discomfort in the rib area bothers you for more than three days, you should definitely seek help from a doctor. But before you go to your appointment, you can undergo a self-diagnosis on our website. It contains a simple test, by answering the questions of which you can get a preliminary diagnosis and understand which specialist you need to make an appointment with.