Headaches are common, especially in today’s stressful work life. But how to know you need the help of a neurologist? Well, the following are headaches signs that indicate a neurological problem:
1. You often take headache medication
If you frequently take headache medications, it could be a sign of a serious neuro-condition. According to a neurologist, it’s vital to realize that some over-the-counter medications may make your headaches even worse, especially if you take medicines frequently. Moreover, these medications may damage kidneys, liver and stomach if taken in excess.
If you often take these over-the-counter medications to relieve headaches every five to six days a month, you need to consult a specialist at your nearest neurosurgery hospital in Gurgaon.
2. Headaches disrupting your daily activities
You must visit a physical for primacy headache care even if the problem is not disabling you from your regular work. However, certain immobilizing headaches indicate you need a trip to your nearest neurologist.
Patients must see a neurologist for any type of headache that’s disrupting their work. This even applies when you have to stop your work and lie down for a while during a headache.
3. If headaches cause pain in one side of the head or other areas
If your headache occurs only on one side of your head or troubles other areas as well, you need to see a neurologist.
Additional symptoms
If your headache is accompanied by issues like nausea, sensitivity to light/sound, vomiting and numbness, this warrants a serious neuro problem.
Tests the neurologists may perform for such headaches
When you visit a neurologist for either of these headache issues, he/she may see your medical history and perform some neurological tests. Some of the tests are:
- CT scan: Your neurologist may ask for a CT scan of your head to diagnose any internal bleeding, structural problems, spinal issues or tumours that may be causing headaches.
- MRI: An MRI could be done if you’ve had a head injury lately that may be causing headaches.
- EEG: Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that’s performed to measure your brain waves. It makes use of electrodes on the scalp for measuring your brain activity. It helps diagnose epilepsy or other brain disorders like inflammation, stroke, brain damage due to a head injury and brain dysfunction.
- X-ray of your sinuses: If your physician suspects you may have a chronic sinus infection that’s causing headaches, he/she may perform an x-ray of your sinuses.
- Lab tests: Depending on the type of headaches you’re suffering from, your doctor may ask for some lab tests, such as urinalysis or blood tests. Usually, all these tests are done for confirming or diagnosing certain health conditions like diabetes, thyroid diseases, etc. that may be leading to your headaches.
Therefore, it’s important to take a trip to the best neurosurgery hospital in Gurgaon to find the cause of your headaches. If there’s any neurological disorder, then apt treatment is suggested to the patient.