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Children’s headaches appear in many forms and occur for many reasons. But if your child has terrible headaches, you don’t need to spend time sorting through the possibilities before consulting a specialist.
Severe or frequent headache pain always deserves medical attention. And yes, we can help ease the pain.
Our THINK Neurology for Kids team includes 12 specialists ready to help your child: Shaun S. Varghese, MD, Cristina R. Marchesano, MD, Lorena Herbert, MD, Barbara Kiersz-Mueller, DO, Lauren Weaver, MD, Alicia Walls, MD, Sundeep Mandava, MD, Patricia DeForest DO, Robby Korah, FNP-C, Jennifer E. Martin, CPNP-PC, Tammy DeLaGarza, FNP-C, and Heather King, CPNP-PC.
We work closely with parents and children to identify the cause of severe headaches. Then, we develop personalized care, helping your child return to daily life free from pain.
Headache causes
Like adults, children frequently have tension headaches. Children are also vulnerable to severe headaches like migraines and cluster headaches. These are all primary headaches because they begin with muscle, nerve, and blood vessel problems in the head or neck.
Children also have secondary headaches. Secondary headaches are symptoms of an underlying health condition. For example, concussions, ear and sinus infections, allergies, and strep throat frequently lead to secondary headaches.
Here’s a summary of three primary headaches:
Tension headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type. However, they cause mild to moderate pain that usually improves with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. As a result, it’s unlikely your child’s severe pain is due to a tension headache.
Migraine headaches
Migraines affect nearly one in 10 children and one in four teens. These headaches cause intense, throbbing pain, typically around one or both temples.
A migraine attack lasts 2-72 hours (without treatment to shorten it). It also causes nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, dizziness, and vertigo (the sensation that the room is spinning).
Some children have abdominal migraines, an unusual variation with moderate to severe tummy pain instead of or with a headache. Up to 70% of those with abdominal migraines develop traditional migraines around the age of 9 to 10 years.
Cluster headaches
Cluster headaches are uncommon, but they cause excruciating pain. The pain is concentrated around one eye or affects one side of the head. As the name suggests, these headaches occur in clusters, causing multiple headaches daily for weeks or months.
Headache triggers
Many lifestyle issues lead to moderate to severe pain because they trigger primary and secondary headaches. A few examples include:
- Lack of sleep
- Sleep apnea
- Change in sleep pattern
- Dehydration
- Hormone changes
- Skipping meals
- Extensive screen time
- Vision problems
- Smoking
- Strong smells
- Processed meat
- Stress (problems at school or home or worry over competitive activities)
Stress is a classic trigger for tension headaches. Migraines always begin with triggers like stress, caffeine, weather changes, and too little sleep.
Cluster headaches may appear out of nowhere or start in response to a trigger, such as smoking, eating certain foods, and drinking alcohol.
When to seek help for headaches
If your child’s head pain is severe or they have frequent headaches, you should schedule an evaluation.
It’s also time to seek help when their headaches:
- Wake them from sleep
- Begin after an injury
- Don’t improve despite OTC medicines
- Worsen or become more frequent
- Suddenly appear and cause severe pain
- Stop them from activities like playing with friends or going to school
- Occur with other symptoms (fatigue, dizziness, vomiting, and others)
- Are triggered by exercise or strain during coughing, sneezing, or toileting
Headaches accompanied by a fever, stiff neck, confusion, disorientation, or vision changes need immediate medical attention.
Headache treatment
The best treatment for your child depends on the type and cause of their headache. However, headache treatment falls into two categories: treatment taken when the headache begins (rescue medications) and preventive treatments.
Rescue medications
Your child may need to take a prescription medicine at the first sign of a headache. These medicines ease their pain (when OTC products don’t help). Some medications will shorten the duration of migraines and cluster headaches.
Preventive therapies
A range of treatments can help prevent future headaches. We begin by identifying triggers. Then, we create a plan to eliminate or avoid those triggers. Sometimes, removing triggers is enough to stop painful headaches.
If your child has migraine or cluster headaches, we may recommend medications or treatments like Botox® injections that reduce or stop future headaches.
We may discuss complementary options that help prevent headaches, such as stress management, relaxation, and behavioral therapies.
If your child needs headache relief, call the nearest THINK Neurology for Kids office or request an appointment online. We have offices in The Woodlands, Katy, Sugar Land, Austin, San Antonio, and Gulf Coast, Texas.