Migraine Vs Headache: Understanding The Differences

Headaches are incredibly common. Almost everybody in the world experiences a headache occasionally, and the pain can range from mild to severe. Many people get these headaches often or even daily. However, there are many types of headaches, as well as certain conditions that cause headaches, such as migraines. Migraines are not the same as regular headaches. They tend to be much more severe and affect an estimated 37 million people in the U.S. Unfortunately, fewer than five percent of those people have been accurately diagnosed as having migraines.

This is because many people who suffer from migraines mistake them for regular headaches. If you’re suffering from migraines, it is important to be properly diagnosed. Knowing the difference between migraines and frequent headaches is necessary to treat them properly and get the relief you need.

Explaining Headache vs. Migraine

Migraines are very different from regular headaches. However, many people mistakenly think a migraine is just a bad headache. That’s not the case at all. While both headaches and migraines can cause pain, there are substantial differences between the two.

What Is A Headache?

A headache is a pain or sensation in the head, usually on one side. Headaches are often caused by stress, fatigue, dehydration, or muscular tension. While headaches can be bothersome and even debilitating, they generally don’t cause other symptoms. There are several different kinds of headaches with different causes and different kinds of pain. These include:

• Tension headaches: Tension headaches are the most common type, caused by muscle tension in the neck and head, often feeling like a tight band around your forehead or temples. They can be mild to severe and usually last a few hours.
• Sinus headaches: Resulting from inflammation and pressure in the sinuses, sinus headaches are often accompanied by a runny nose, nasal congestion, and/or sore throat. They can cause pressure and pain in the face and the head. Seasonal allergies, the common cold, and a deviated septum can all contribute to sinus headaches.
• Cluster headaches: Cluster headaches are characterized by intense, sharp pain occurring on one side of the head. The pain can last anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours and often occurs in clusters, meaning several of them happen in a row or over a short period. Cluster headaches are a chronic condition and can be highly debilitating.

What Is A Migraine?

A migraine is far more severe than a common tension headache. It can be debilitating, causing intense pain on one side of the head, forehead, or temple. The underlying cause of migraines isn’t known, but genetics, environmental factors, and hormones all likely play a role. Migraines are usually accompanied by other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light or sound, and vision changes. Migraines can last a few hours to several days and tend to come in cycles or clusters.

How Migraines Vary From Headaches

A headache is essentially just that – an ache in your head. A migraine isn’t a headache; it’s a condition. Furthermore, a headache is just one of the symptoms of a migraine. In fact, the headache is typically the last symptom to show up in a migraine. This is why it’s important to note that migraines are not just bad headaches but rather a complex neurological condition. A migraine can cause a wide variety of additional symptoms that, combined, can be incredibly debilitating. These symptoms include the following:

Dizziness

Dizziness is a common symptom of migraine, ranging from feeling lightheaded to having a spinning sensation, resulting in difficulty standing or walking.

Extra sensitivity to light, sound, and/or smells

Sensitivity to bright or flashing lights, loud noises, and strong odors like perfumes or certain foods can last for the duration of the migraine.

Extreme Fatigue

Migraines can cause extreme fatigue and make it difficult to do even simple tasks. People with migraines often feel exhausted and need to rest, even after the migraine has passed.

Nausea

Nausea can occur with a migraine and can last throughout its duration. The severity of the headache combined with dizziness and sensitivity to light can cause nausea.

Vomiting

If the person with the migraine is experiencing severe enough nausea, vomiting can occur. This may be due to other migraine symptoms.

Do Headaches Always Mean Migraines?

No, headaches are not always migraines. A headache is a symptom of a migraine; however, certain types of headaches, such as sinus headaches and cluster headaches, are not symptomatic of migraines. Additionally, migraines are not the only condition that can cause headaches. Other conditions, such as infections, colds, and fevers, can also result in headache symptoms.

Additional Migraine And Headache Distinctions

Besides the symptoms that distinguish migraines from regular headaches, there are a few other distinctions. The following are a few additional ways that you can tell a migraine apart from a headache:

Types

Just as there are several types of headaches, there are also several types of migraines:

• Migraine with aura: This type includes visual disturbances like seeing flashes of light or wavy lines.
• Migraine without aura: This type does not include the visual disturbances associated with migraine with aura.
• Retinal migraine: Causes vision disturbances in one eye, such as blind spots or temporary blindness.
• Hemiplegic migraine: Causes temporary paralysis or numbness on one side of the body.

Pain Location

Migraines often cause pounding, pulsing pain on one side of the head. This pain is typically located in the temples, forehead, or behind the eyes. Other headaches, such as tension headaches, can cause more generalized pain across the entire head. The specific location of the pain usually depends on the type of headache or migraine that you have.

Severity And Duration Of Pain

The intensity and duration of the pain are two of the best ways to tell a migraine apart from a regular headache. Migraine headaches tend to be more intense and longer-lasting than other types of headaches. Migraine pain can range from moderate to severe and can last for several hours or even days. In contrast, regular headaches typically last for a shorter period and are usually less intense. If the headache you’re experiencing is severe to the point of debilitating and lasts for a long time, there’s a chance that it’s a migraine. 

Diagnosis

Migraine and headache diagnosis can be difficult, as there are many possible causes of headaches. Additionally, migraines can easily be misdiagnosed as other types of headaches. To properly diagnose a migraine or headache, a doctor will typically ask about the type and length of the pain and any associated symptoms. They may recommend an MRI or CT scan to check for other causes of the pain as well.

Common Treatment Choices

There are various ways that you can treat headaches and migraines. However, although pain management is possible, curing migraines is not, since the underlying cause of migraines is not known. The following are some of the standard treatment options that are available for both headaches and migraines:

Over-the-counter and Prescription Medications

Normal tension headaches are often treated using over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen. However, many doctors will prescribe stronger pharmaceuticals for patients diagnosed with migraine headaches. These can include triptans, ergotamine, and anti-nausea medications. Taking pain medications to treat headaches or migraines may lead to side effects depending on the medication.

Lifestyle Changes

Making specific lifestyle changes can also help to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines and headaches. These changes can include getting adequate sleep, reducing stress, and avoiding migraine triggers like certain foods or environmental factors. Additionally, regular exercise can help to reduce muscle tension that may contribute to headaches. At NextPain Care, we provide lifestyle counseling as a critical component of our whole-person approach to pain management. This includes providing guidance on how to make healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce the frequency of headaches and migraines.

TENS Therapy

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) therapy is a non-invasive treatment solution that involves using low-voltage electrical currents to stimulate the nerves in the head and neck, thus providing pain relief. It achieves this by blocking pain signals from reaching the brain and by increasing endorphins, which are natural painkillers. In addition, the massaging effect of the TENS device can help to relax tense muscles in the head, neck, and shoulders. TENS therapy can provide temporary pain relief for both headaches and migraines and is a safe treatment option with few side effects. However, it’s important to note that its purpose is to provide short-term pain relief and it may not provide long-term relief.

How We Approach Migraines And Headaches

Our NextPain Care approach involves evidence-based practices for treating chronic headaches and migraines. These approaches are grounded in the latest research and guidelines set by leading medical authorities to ensure you receive the best possible care. Our three-level system provides a comprehensive and well-rounded approach, tailoring treatments to meet each individual’s unique needs. Our methodology includes the following:

• Mindfulness and meditation for chronic pain: Mindfulness and meditation techniques at NextPain Care aid chronic pain management, enhancing well-being by reducing pain perception. Patients benefit from coping strategies for improved mental and physical health, fostering a balanced, pain-free life.
• Botox: We use Botox to provide targeted relief for migraines and tension headaches, offering minimally invasive pain management solutions. Our expert team ensures precise injections for optimal patient comfort and improved quality of life.
• Nerve block: At NextPain Care we utilize nerve blocks for targeted pain relief in chronic and post-surgical pain. This minimally invasive approach offers significant relief by precisely targeting pain sources, improving pain management and quality of life.
• Trigger point injections: Trigger point injections target muscle knots to alleviate pain and enhance mobility. We use this method of pain management for better quality of life.
• Radiofrequency ablation: We also utilize radiofrequency ablation to target nerves transmitting pain signals, offering effective relief for chronic pain conditions. This advanced treatment enhances patients’ quality of life by reducing discomfort.
• Spinal cord stimulation: Spinal cord stimulation, a technique we use at NextPain Care, involves implanting a device to block pain signals using electrical impulses. It aids in managing chronic pain like migraines, back pain, and neuropathy, enhancing the ability to complete daily activities.

The Right Diagnosis Leads To The Right Head Pain Relief

If you’re suffering from severe headaches regularly, it is important to get your condition properly diagnosed. If you’re suffering from migraines, the right treatment is critical to ensure effective pain relief and prevent further episodes. At NextPain Care, we take a comprehensive approach to treating chronic migraine pain and headaches, focusing on providing effective, evidence-based, and minimally invasive treatments tailored to your unique needs in helping you manage the pain.