Forehead pain or frontal headaches are often used
by those affected as a feeling of pressure in the forehead, face pain or
tension headaches , less frequently than facial pain described. The type and intensity of
the pain also differ greatly in some cases. In order to track down the
cause, a detailed examination and differentiation from other symptoms is
necessary. In addition to the functional triggers of the complaints, the
causes of forehead pain also include diseases such as neuropathies , inflammation of the frontal sinus,
migraines or eye complaints.
definition
Forehead pain refers to complaints in the front upper area of
the skull below the hairline. The term is used as a symptom and not as
an independent clinical picture. The causes are varied and require
thorough clarification, as the first illnesses can also be the basis of the
complaints. bacobolts
Forehead
pain with migraines
About ten percents of
the population suffers from migraines. The severe, sometimes almost
unbearable headache occurs in most of the people concerned on one
side in the area of the forehead, temples and eyes and is often accompanied
by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity
to light, noises and / or smell. The disease is one of the so-called
widespread diseases.
Migraines usually occur as attacks and run in characteristic
phases. In the so-called harbinger phase, many sufferers mainly suffer
from psychological, neurological and vegetative symptoms such as tiredness or
sensitivity to noise. Cravings for certain foods can also herald a
migraine attack. In some cases, this is followed by the aura phase, which
is associated with impaired perception. The vision is most often
impaired. Speech disorders and symptoms of paralysis can also occur in
this phase. It is therefore particularly important to classify the
symptoms clearly and to differentiate them from other diseases such as stroke.
In the headache phase, severe pain occurs, especially in the
forehead, temples and eyes, which is usually only noticeable in one half of the
face. Other symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting can
also occur. Hypersensitivity to light, sounds and smells can also
occur. Often the forehead pain increases with activity and movement, while
it decreases during rest and in the dark. In the regression phase, the
symptoms slowly recede. The person concerned is usually exhausted and
tense.
Sleep
deprivation, stress , environmental factors,
food and hormonal factors are discussed as triggers for
migraines . Those affected should therefore often keep a headache
diary in order to track down the cause. In it they document what they ate
and drank before the migraine attack and note activities and their
psychological well-being.
Cluster
headache
Cluster headaches are characterized by violent unbearable pain
attacks that occur on one side, mostly in the area of the temples and eyes as
well as the lower forehead. Unlike migraine sufferers, people with cluster
headaches do not have the urge to lie down in bed, but wander around and move
around. The pain typically occurs at night, one to two hours after falling
asleep, and usually lasts between 15 and 180 minutes. Some people also
suffer from pain attacks during the day. The frequency of occurrence
varies between every other day and eight attacks a day. Usually there are
other symptoms such as a drooping eyelid, reddened conjunctiva in the eye,
increased tear flow, sweating in the forehead or face and physical
restlessness. Some patients have an aura before the attack, which can also
occur with migraines. Differentiating it from migraines can therefore be
difficult.
The cause of cluster headaches have not yet been clarified. A
widening or inflammation of the blood vessels does not seem to be the trigger
of the disease, as previously assumed, but rather a consequence of the pain
attacks. Alcohol and histamine, among others, are known as so-called
triggers. However, the triggers can be very different from one individual
to the next.
Forehead
pain with tension headache
According to the definitions of the "International Headache
Society" (IHS), tension headache is when the headache extends over the
entire head, including the forehead, and is pressing or pulling, but not
pulsating. The intensity of tension headache ranges from mild to moderate
symptoms. An episodic tension headache is when the pain attacks occur at
least ten times but on fewer than 180 days a year. The chronic tension
headache is noticeable for at least 15 days a month and for six consecutive
months. Those affected are often prone to psycho-vegetative abnormalities,
including anxiety, stroke disorders, depressive moods and excessive use of
medication. The interaction of various factors is assumed to be the cause
of tension headache. The tension in the neck muscles leads to the
activation of pain receptors, which in turn trigger a process that generally
makes those affected more sensitive to pain. Tense chewing muscles, stress
and infections with fever are also discussed as triggers.
Forehead
pain in ophthalmic zoster
Ophthalmic zoster is
the appearance of shingles in the face and eyes. Shingles is triggered by
the chickenpox virus (varicella zoster virus), which causes
chickenpox. Once these have subsided, however, the virus remains in the
body for life and embeds itself either in the cranial nerves or in the nerve
roots of the spinal cord. For example, due to a weakened immune system,
the virus can multiply again and become noticeable through the typical
belt-like rash and sometimes severe pain. The outwardly characteristic
signs of shingles are based on the fact that the virus shows itself along the
supply area of the nerve in which the virus has lodged. If the virus
occurs in the forehead area, burning forehead pain is usually the result.Stress , trauma and UV radiation.
Frontal
pain in frontal sinusitis
The frontal sinus
(Sinus frontalis) belongs to the paranasal sinuses (Sinus paranasales) and
forms a cavity in the frontal bone. Since the frontal sinus is connected
to the middle nasal passage of the nasal cavity, it can become inflamed in
diseases of the nose. Frontal sinusitis is often associated with fever , runny nose ,
forehead pain with a feeling of pressure in the front area of the skull,
headache, tiredness and general exhaustion. Viruses are
usually the cause of the infection. However, other pathogens such as
bacteria are also possible.
A sinus infection can be acutes or chronic. The
latter is the case if the inflammation lasts for more than two to three
months. The chronic course is often based on an acute frontal sinus
infection that has not healed.
Forehead
pain in trigeminal neuralgia
Some nerves run in the forehead area, which can cause severe
pain when irritated and inflamed. Nerve pain is known as
neuralgia. These include complaints that occur in the supply area of one
or more nerves and are triggered by damage to these peripheral nerves.
The so-called trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most common
neuralgia and can be associated with very severe facial and forehead
pain. The nerve that causes pain is the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial
nerve, trigeminal nerve), which runs in three main branches on the
face. Changes in neighboring blood vessels in the lower part of the brain
or pinching of other parts of the nerve can irritate the trigeminal nerve and
become inflamed. In some cases, however, the cause of trigeminal neuralgia
remains unknown or there is another underlying disease such as multiples
sclerosis or a tumor. Accidental head injuries can also trigger nerve
pain.
Symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia include sudden, sharp pain that
can appear on the forehead, but also on the cheeks, chin and teeth. The
pain attacks usually only last a few seconds, but are repeated at short
intervals. Often this is followed by a phase without pain attacks until they
set in again.
Symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia include sudden, sharp pain that
can appear on the forehead, but also on the cheeks, chin and teeth. The
pain attacks usually only last a few seconds, but are repeated at short
intervals. Often this is followed by a phase without pain attacks until
they set in again.
Forehead
pain with eye diseases
Overuse and eye diseases can also be the cause of forehead
pain. Working on the computer for hours every day can lead to complaints,
especially when working conditions are not ideal. Another cause of pain in
the forehead area can be an unknown visual defect or diseases such as glaucoma
or cataracts. Anyone who frequently suffers from forehead pain should
therefore consider an ophthalmological examination.
In addition, there are numerous other causes of forehead pain
such as muscle tension, lack of sleep, side effects of medication, dehydration,
neurological diseases, brain tumors and accidental injuries to the frontal
bone.
