Ice pick headaches, known officially as primarystabbing headaches, cause sharp, stabbing pain that comes and goes.
In other words, this throw in of headache exists on its own without another health explanation.
Other types of headaches and health issues ice pick headaches may be mistaken for are also explored.
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What Are the Symptoms of an Ice Pick Headache?
Ice Pick Headaches vs.
However, cluster headaches tend to build gradually in intensity.
Can Ice Pick Headaches Be a Sign of an Aneurysm?
Ananeurysmoccurs when a part of a blood vessel wall weakens, causing an abnormal swelling or bulge.
Aneurysms can develop in several parts of the body including the brain.
Brain aneurysms are common and usually don’t cause symptoms or health issues unless they rupture.
A ruptured aneurysm in the brain can causesubarachnoidhemorrhages orhemorrhagic strokes.
Experts believe that the origin of this headache stems from irritation oftrigeminal nerveendings.
However, ice pick headache is a distinct condition from another pain-related disorder calledtrigeminal neuralgia.
How Is an Ice Pick Headache Diagnosed?
How Is an Ice Pick Headache Treated?
Science suggests that, in some people,autoimmune diseaseand ice pick headaches are related.
An autoimmune disease is a condition characterized by your immune system attacking normal, healthy organs.
For example, inmultiple sclerosis, immune cells attack nerve coverings in the brain and spinal cord.
One Italian study inClinical Neurology and Neurosurgeryexamined 26 people with a diagnosis of ice pick headache.
The researchers found that of these 26 people, 14 had an autoimmune disease.
In addition, seven of those 14 people had evidence ofmyelinloss (calleddemyelination) on an MRI.
Those with evidence of demyelination included people with a diagnosis of MS,Sjogren’sdisease, orvasculitis.
What about the other seven who did not have demyelinating findings?
During one episode, the stabbing head pains were associated with numbness and tingling of her right arm.
Her headaches and neurological symptoms resolved with steroids, which are used to treatrelapses in multiple sclerosis.
Remember, an association does not imply causation.
Just because you have stabbing headaches does not mean you also have an autoimmune condition and vice versa.
This is simply an interesting link and warrants more research to better understand the “why” behind it.
That being said, this connection may alter how your healthcare provider treats your stabbing headaches.
There are several treatment options for repeat sufferers including NSAIDs and melatonin.
Always seek medical attention for severe head pain accompanied by stroke symptoms, such as vision changes or paralysis.
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