Location of Headaches: Back of the head

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It is very common to have pain or headaches in the back of the head, neck or shoulders. There are many causes of pain located in the back of your head. Tension headaches and migraine are both possible causes that are related to headaches. Other possible causes are injury, stress, inflammation and spine/neck problems.

There are several causes for headaches and the most common ones are dehydration, wrong posture, neck stiffness, stress or fatigue. However, when the pain resists it is time to consider other possible causes of a migraine or a tension headache.

Many Americans don’t consider these options and try to live with it as good as they can. They buy over-the-counter drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen to make the pain go away. Little do they know that they are using the wrong medication for a possible migraine. Aspirin and related medicines will not work for a migraine. There are other treatments for this neurological disorder that do work.

A medical treatment is not the only option when you have chronic episodes of headaches. An option might be to rearrange your desk and chair and meet ergonomic standards. Another option would be to join Yoga classes. Yoga is an excellent way of learning how to relax and even seniors can do it. Doing exercises and aerobics are other options that might reduce the headaches.

There are people for who all of this will not work. They have frequent headaches and will visit one doctor after the other trying to find a remedy. It is hard to admit that sometimes there is not a medicine that will give some relief to the pain. If pain medication is not working, these people are often referred to a psychotherapist who will teach them how to live with pain. This treatment is also seen in Fibromyalgia and this is no coincidence because both disorders are related to each other.

So when do you know the headaches on the back of your head are innocent and when do they become a serious threat? In my article about Migraine and Headache, I gave an extended explanation of the symptoms related to migraine. You can also find more information about tension headaches symptoms in another article.

When you have a headache for a couple of days that is not a trigger to start worrying. First, try some of the given advice like changing work posture or try to relax with Yoga lessons. If these options are not working and your symptoms fit a migraine or a chronic headache then you should consult your physician.