Uvalde Memorial Hospital | UMHealthy | April 2025

WHEN YOUR HEAD HURTS, you may feel like curling up into a ball until the pain goes away. If you don’t have that luxury, you can still take several steps to prevent and treat headaches before they become severe. COMMON HEADACHE TYPES Headaches come in many forms, and knowing which kind you have can help you get the right treatment. Tension headache. The most common headache type, a tension headache is usually mild to moderate and feels like a band of tension tightening around your head. Stress and depression can trigger it. Migraine. Migraines cause moderate to severe throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head. Some people see flashes of light or lose their vision temporarily during a migraine. They can cause nausea and sensitivity to light, and movement makes them worse. Lack of sleep or food, stress, genes, and hormonal changes in women can cause migraines. Sinus headache. Fever and nasal drainage often accompany this type of headache. A sinus infection or a deformity that blocks the sinuses is often the cause. In many cases, someone with a self-diagnosed sinus headache actually has a migraine. Cluster headache. This type of headache causes severe, piercing pain on one side of the head close to the eye. It can last from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Like the name suggests, a cluster headache attacks in clusters, followed by a length of time with no headache. It can be hereditary; drinking alcohol may also trigger it. PREVENTION AND TREATMENT Not every headache can be prevented, but these tactics can keep many at bay or help make them less severe. ● Get enough sleep. Aim for seven to eight hours every night. ● Be aware of and avoid headache triggers. These include bright lights, smells, certain foods and beverages, and too much stress. ● Try relaxation techniques. Deep breathing exercises, yoga and massage can help you control your body’s natural fight-or-flight response to stress and pain. ● Keep a journal. Jot down what you were doing, drinking and eating before the headache started. Note how long it lasted, how severe it was and what type of medication you took for it, if any. ● Take pain relievers. Ask your doctor which type of over-the-counter or prescription medication is best for you. If your headaches are caused by underlying health issues, such as a sinus infection or head trauma, you may need more specific treatment for that condition. Talk to your doctor about what’s causing your headaches and how to cope. Sources: American Migraine Foundation; Merck Manual; National Center for Biotechnology Information; National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health; National Headache Foundation hospital for a week to receive antibiotic infusions for her wound infection. She also had wound surgery to remove the dead tissue. Her daily wound dressings and HBOT also continued during the hospital stay. Holloway’s leg wounds have fully healed, thanks to her Wound Care team, led by Andrzej P. Stypko, M.D. Now her life is getting back to normal. “I was so impressed with their expertise, their compassion and the quality of care they gave me,” she says. “I call them my dream team.” ‘Dream team’ helped heal leg wounds El ‘equipo de ensueño’ ayudó a sanar las heridas de las piernas —Continued from front page —Continúa de la primera página Cómo evitar un dolor de cabeza Get your COVID-19 vaccine—visit vaccines.gov. Holloway recibió varios tratamientos, entre ellos: ● Apósitos y limpiezas para heridas, incluso en fin de semana si eran necesarios. ● Terapia de oxígeno hiperbárico (HBOT, por sus siglas en ingés). El Centro de Cuidado CUANDO LE DUELE LA CABEZA, es posible que sienta ganas de acurrucarse haciéndose una bola hasta que el dolor desaparezca. Si no tiene ese lujo, aún puede tomar varias medidas para prevenir y tratar los dolores de cabeza antes de que se vuelvan severos. TIPOS COMUNES DE DOLORES DE CABEZA Los dolores de cabeza se presentan de muchas formas, y saber qué tipo tiene le puede ayudar a obtener el tratamiento adecuado. Dolor de cabeza tensional. El tipo de dolor de cabeza más común, un dolor de cabeza tensional, suele ser de leve a moderado y se siente como una banda de tensión que se aprieta How to head off a headache

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