Cluster Headache Caused by a Pinched Nerve

Almost every person has suffered from a headache at one time or another. Some headaches can be mild and some can be quite severe. One particular type of headache, which is especially severe and rare, is called a cluster headache. These headaches strike at random, and are often separated by weeks or months before another one can occur.

Significance

• According to the Mayo Clinic, cluster headaches are unlike typical headaches because they affect a small percentage of the population, roughly 0.1%, and the causes are still being determined. Scientists know that blood vessels become dilated and that in turn places pressure on the trigeminal nerve, which controls the sensation in the face. This nerve pressure is the immediate cause for a cluster headache, but the underlying cause is still not known.

Time Frame

• A cluster headache is named because it comes and goes in clusters. A person may have several of these headaches in weeks, and then go several months without one, says the Mayo Clinic. The actual time frame for one of these attacks is anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, it just depends on how long the pressure on the trigeminal nerve lasts. Medical experts are still studying the mysterious breaks in the cluster headache attacks.

Effects

• Many people who suffer from cluster headaches report that it is the worst pain that they have ever felt in their life. Women have said it is worse than natural childbirth, without any anesthesia, and the pain is unbearable. Dr. Peter Goadsby, a leading research scientist on cluster headaches has said that "Cluster headaches are probably the worst pain that humans experience." The effects of the disease and the unpredictable nature of it, make it difficult for individuals to hold down normal jobs and care for their families. Social interactions and quality of life suffer due to the intense pain that people are often in.

Considerations

• FamilyDoctor.org reports that often, many people are not properly diagnosed with cluster headaches for several years. Doctors may think it is a migraine or another illness. Experts can mistaken the pain of a cluster headache for multiple sclerosis or a brain tumor. In order to determine whether or not an individual suffers from cluster headaches, a doctor will have to do a brain scan in order to look for abnormalities that may indicate whether you suffer from cluster headaches.

Prevention/Solution

• Cluster headaches can often be triggered by simple factors. Consuming chocolate, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, inhaling gasoline or perfume, and doing heavy exercise can all lead to the onset of a cluster headache. In order to treat an attack that is just beginning, many recommend inhaling pure oxygen for several minutes. This reduces the cluster headache time to just a few minutes, versus a few hours if you do not. The most widely prescribed prescription that can help prevent cluster headaches is called Verapamil. It is a calcium channel blocker and has been shown to help reduce the frequency of cluster headache attacks if taken regularly.