Each parent is familiar with a situation where a child complains of a poor condition and headache. The reasons why a child has a headache - a lot. Sometimes a careful study of various factors is required in order to help the baby.
Pain always signals trouble. A healthy child does not have a headache. Therefore, at the first complaints parents need to take measures to eliminate headaches. To do this, find its cause.
Why does a child's head ache? What are the main causes of headache and how to treat it?
Headache in a child - the causes of the problem
Migraine - a disease characterized by:
• unilateral headache
• sensitivity to light
• blurred vision and speech
• "flies in the eyes"
• dizziness
• nausea and vomiting
The main causes of migraine are emotional stress, overwork, prolonged sitting at the computer. In addition, some foods and heredity cause migraines.
The disease occurs due to impaired blood circulation or due to inflammation of certain parts of the brain, as well as the meninges.
In order to understand why parents have a headache in a child, it is recommended to take notes of all attacks, their duration and intensity. You also need to fix the food eaten on the eve of the attack and the medication drunk.
At home, migraine is treated with the help of observing the correct daily routine, when due attention is given to proper rest, combating stress and proper nutrition.
Migraine treatment methods at home:
• Consumption of Hypericum flowers decoction. It is done this way: 1 teaspoon of raw material is brewed with a glass of boiling water and infused. You can drink a little sweetened.
• Peppermint oil. This means smears a forehead, temples of the child.
• Rest in a darkened room.
• Food at which magnesium-containing foods are preferred: millet, potatoes, vegetables, nuts, wholemeal bread.
Sometimes migraines are caused by nutritional supplements found in most sweets that children love so much. Therefore, in order to help the baby during the period of exacerbation of migraine, it is necessary to give him less sweet.
It is noted that the rejection of meat and meat products greatly facilitates the condition of the child with migraine attacks.
If the headache lasts a long time, then a specialist consultation is necessary. Based on the headache diary, laboratory and instrumental studies, as well as consultations with an optometrist and a pediatric psychologist, a neurologist will establish the reason and clearly answer the question: why does the child have a headache.
If headache attacks are a frequent occurrence, then the specialist prescribes treatment with medications. Typically, this is Paracetamol or Aspirin. The latter is used with caution. It is effective only in mild cases.
Paracetamol is used for moderate to severe headaches. And for the treatment of severe attacks, Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Caffeine are prescribed.
Tension headache - a type of headache that is episodic or chronic. The headache of tension arises from two sides and extends up or down from the neck. The cause of the pathology is stress caused by anxiety or stress, as well as improper body position while working at the computer or lifting heavy objects.
Most often this type of pain occurs in the second half of the day, when fatigue takes up. Headache of tension is accompanied by sound and photophobia, nausea, increased unpleasant sensations when touching the head.
Treatment methods at home:
• complete rest
• head massage
• warm bath
• tincture of eleutherococcus or lemongrass
• glycine (give 0.1 g 2-4 times a day)
In addition, it is advisable to keep a diary in which the child independently enters all cases of headache and related events that entailed excitement and feelings.
Other non-drug methods of treating a child’s headache are breathing exercises, in which the baby says to himself, inhaling and exhaling, “inhale”, “exhale”. Such exercises help reduce emotional stress.
Children are recommended to use “Relax” coloring pages, which include a set of breathing exercises presented in verses.
In severe cases, tension headache is treated by specialists. After talking with a small patient and studying clinical and instrumental studies, the doctor prescribes complex therapy, which includes taking antidepressants and drugs that act on the cause of the headache.
It is not recommended to give painkillers to a child with persistent pain of tension. Do not get rid of the cause of discomfort, do not expect a positive result.
Headache - A painful condition characterized by a rapid increase in pain. A bundle or, as it is also called, cluster headache, in contrast to migraine, leads to increased excitability and mobility.
Symptoms of a painful condition:
• unilateral headache
• lacrimation of the eye on the side where the pain
• constriction of the pupil
• cyclical seizures
Deviations in the functioning of blood vessels and the central nervous system are the cause of the occurrence of bundle headache.
At home, seizures are treated with a good rest, warm baths, and stress control. In severe cases, it is necessary to consult a specialist who, after appropriate examination, prescribes oxygen inhalation, as well as drugs that successfully treat migraines: Immigrant, Dihydroergotamine.
A common disease often causes a headache in a child. One of them is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses of the skull (sinusitis). Due to the fact that in the morning hours the sinuses are filled with pus, a headache occurs, which intensifies if the child tilts his head down.
Pain can occur on one side. Where the nose is stuffed up and there are secretions from it.
Such symptoms require a mandatory consultation with an otolaryngologist. The doctor prescribes antibiotics, washing the sinuses, drugs aimed at liquefaction and outflow of mucus.
Acute otitis also causes headache in a child. As a rule, the disease is accompanied by a runny nose, fever. Before consulting a specialist, you can instill Galazolin in the nose, and in the absence of secretions, pain drops in the ear.
Inside, it is recommended to give the child Paracetamol and make a half-alcohol compress on the ear. It is easy to do: moisten a piece of gauze in vodka or alcohol diluted with water, put it on the child's ear through a previously made slot. Cover with cellophane, cotton wool and wrap with a warm scarf. They put such a compress for 4 hours.
Neuralgia of the upper branch of the trigeminal nerve causes intense, one-sided, aggravated headache when touched. Understanding the reason why a child has a headache in this case is simple: put pressure on the temporal region. An increase in pain indicates the presence of a disease.
In this case, the child must be given an anesthetic, make a dry warm compress on the temple and contact a neurologist.
Herpetic eruptions on the scalp can also cause a headache in a child. On examination, the elements of the rash are clearly visible, which should be smeared with Zovirax and seek help from a dermatologist.
Visual impairment, which include nearsightedness and astigmatism, provoke a headache in a child that occurs after exercise associated with a strong eye strain. The diagnosis is made by an optometrist. He also prescribes vision correction.
Erysipelas of the scalp - One of the infrequent causes of a headache in a child. When viewed under the hair, swelling and redness are clearly visible. In addition, erysipelas is accompanied by increased body temperature, chills. In the treatment using antibacterial agents.
Meningitis - inflammation of the membrane of the brain and spinal cord. As a rule, the disease affects young children. It is characterized by acute headache, fever, vomiting, photophobia and sound phobia, lack of appetite, muscle pain. In the presence of increased body temperature, lethargy, drowsiness, tension in the muscles - you should immediately contact the doctor.
The disease is treated in the hospital with the use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, means aimed at reducing intracranial pressure.
Encephalitis - inflammatory brain damage due to viral or bacterial infection. The course of the disease can be acute, subacute, chronic. It begins with a high body temperature, delirium, confusion or loss of consciousness, seizures, and headaches.
The diagnosis is made by a specialist on the basis of laboratory studies and by studying the clinical picture of the disease.
Treatment depends on what caused encephalitis. In case of a mixed infection, antibiotics are used; in case of tick-borne encephalitis, human anti-tick u-globulin is used. In some cases, prescribed hormone therapy.
If a disease is suspected, it is necessary to seek help from a pediatric neurologist, infectious diseases specialist, and pediatrician.
Injuries. Parents do not always manage to protect their children from injury. Having fallen, the baby can get a bruise of the soft tissues of the head, a concussion, a bruise of the brain, a fracture of the bones of the skull.
The lightest injury is considered a bruise of the soft tissues of the head, in which an abrasion or a bump is formed at the site of the impact. If the child, crying, calms down and behaves as usual, then there is no reason to consult a doctor.
When a brain concussion is not surprising that a child has a headache. Such an injury is quite serious. In addition to headache, it is accompanied by short-term loss of consciousness, vomiting, cold sweat, drowsiness, lethargy, and noise in the ears.
A brain injury is a serious injury. It is characterized by a prolonged loss of consciousness, a violation of breathing and heart rate.
With a fracture of the skull bones, signs of injury do not appear immediately. In this case, it is important to carefully monitor the condition of the child.
If you have symptoms of concussion or bruising, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Help at home, if there is no obvious damage to the bones of the skull, is to use a cold compress on the sore spot. This treatment reduces swelling and bleeding. But if the bleeding does not stop 15 minutes after it starts, call an ambulance immediately.
After any head injury, the child needs rest. However, in the first hour after the injury, the baby should not be allowed to fall asleep. Otherwise, it will not be possible to trace the patient’s condition and determine the extent of the injury.
If the child is not able to answer simple questions, he has impaired coordination of movements, vomiting has begun - do not hesitate to call an ambulance.
Hormonal imbalance - Another reason why a child’s headache. During puberty, boys and girls undergo hormonal changes. Against its background, exacerbation of chronic diseases, the occurrence of acne is possible. All this is accompanied by a periodic headache.
During such a period, parents need to help the teenager to accept himself, to teach him how to react to stress, to give an opportunity to fully relax.
Bad habits such as smoking lead to headache, memory impairment, vision, irritability. A child can hide his addiction, and parents puzzle over why a child’s head aches.
Overwork caused by mental strain is a common cause of headache in children. If after rest the unpleasant sensations disappear, then there is no reason for concern. In case of increased body temperature, the inability of the child to raise his head while lying on his back, lethargy, vomiting, it is urgent to seek medical help.
Stress and anxiety are one of the causes of headaches in a child. These may not necessarily be negative experiences. Too active emotional communication in kindergarten, school leads to the fact that when he comes home, the child suffers from headaches. In this case, sleep or relaxation in a quiet environment helps.
Food with an abundance of preservatives, flavors, flavor enhancers leads to headaches. In addition, an excess of vitamin A can also cause discomfort.
Headache in a child - diagnostic methods
If home methods for treating a headache in a child do not help, you should seek help from a pediatric neurologist.
Diagnosis of a headache is as follows:
• examination of the child
• examination of vessels of the cervical spine and brain
• X-ray of the cervical spine
• Abdominal and thyroid ultrasound
• MRI - magnetic resonance imaging
• electroencephalogram - if necessary
Headache in a child - treatment methods
In the treatment of headaches in a child, drug and non-drug methods of treatment are used. It is important to know that children should not use products intended for adults. For example, Citramon is not recommended for children under 15 years old. Instead, it is better to use the children's Nurofen.
With migraines, Paracetamol helps well. If the pain is not too severe, give Aspirin, being careful.
With beam pain, Sumatripan is used, and tension pain is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen.
Non-drug methods of treatment include walking, sleeping, head massage.
Headache in a child - prevention
As a prevention of headaches in a child, some recommendations:
1. Compliance with the regime of the day.
2. Avoiding stressful situations.
3. Gradual hardening and sports.
4. Walking in the fresh air.
5. Healthy food.
6. Creating a favorable atmosphere in the house.
6. Full sleep.
Each case of a headache in a child requires attention. The task of parents is to help the baby get rid of discomfort on their own or, if necessary, seek help from doctors.
