Sharp pain in the head is not a serious problem, but it is definitely a nuisance. It can be described as a sudden ice-pick headache felt at the back of the head or around the eyes. It may occur one or few times a day or even more. But the headache vanishes totally as it comes. It occurs and causes pain only for few seconds. For some there may be dullness for some minutes after they had sharp pain. You need not worry about the pain if it is rare but in case it is recurring, then you need to consult your doctor.
- The pain may be felt as stabbing or punching the knife on the head. The affected person may feel as though someone has rammed a sharp needle on his head.
- The pain is sudden and there is no indication of getting the pain.
- It lasts only for few seconds but its impact is severe
- This sharp pain is totally different from migraine
Causes :
Getting a sharp pain is not a serious problem but having it daily or recurrently is a serious issue. Range of factors contributes for headache and pain occurs in different areas of head like left side, right side and at the back of your head.
Some of the causative factors for sharp pain in head are given below:-
Sinusitis :
Getting sharp pain beneath the ears or around eyes is indicative of sinus problem. There are variety of sinusitis that causes pain in your head and behind the ears and eyes. There would be sharp intense pain when bending for people who suffer from sinusitis.
Migraine :
In this type, pain is felt at one side of your head and the intensity may vary from mild to severe. People may get throbbing pain and it may disturb his daily activities very much. A person having migraine headache will also have other symptoms like nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. This pain may last for minutes or even hours and still there is no cure for migraine.
Encephalitis :
It is a very rare disease causing swelling of the brain tissue caused by virus infection. There would be sharp staggering pain in the head followed by vomiting, seizures and nausea.
Meningitis :
The brain tissues become swollen affecting the spinal cord also in meningitis. Here again there would be sharp pain with stiffness of neck with other signs like nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat and seizures.
Apart from the above factors, there are headaches caused by hangover, withdrawal of certain medicines, and spinal cord problem. It can also be caused due to change in hormone level which causes one side headache.
A person who is emotionally aroused or under stress will get a headache and pain at the back of his head Trigeminal neuralgia is termed as a feeling of stabbing pain on the head, cheeks and jaw. This kind of pain is felt when eating or drinking and even brushing the teeth.
Nummular headache is described as the condition of dull pain with tension provoked headache. A small circular area of the head will feel the pain.
Headache can also occur due to exercise, coughing, loss of sleep or having sex or drop in temperature. Some of the major types of headaches are cluster headache, migraine, rebound headache, headache due to sinus and tension.
Treatment :
Most of the mild to moderate forms of headache will go away by taking painkillers. However if you have persistent headache with other symptoms you should visit your doctor. Even for migraine headache, you can take Ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
Oxygen inhalation therapy is beneficial for getting rid of worse headache with sharp pain. Though pain relievers can be taken, it cannot prevent the headache.
Some doctors prescribe Triptan kind of drugs for reducing the intensity of pain during headache.Preventive medicine comes in the form of steroids and calcium blocker drugs like verapamil.You can also try alternative medicine like herbal products and homeopathic treatment for getting rid of headache.