Headaches are one of the most common causes of pain and disability in the world. More than half of all adults, teens, and children have experienced a headache in the last year.

Headaches can vary in severity. Some headaches, like tension headaches, tend to be more mild while cluster headaches can cause severe pain. Anyone of any age can experience a headache, including infants.

Your neurologist may be able to pinpoint the cause of your headache or the cause may be unknown. Common causes of headaches include:

• Alcohol use
• Emotional stress
• Excessive medicine use
• Head injury
• Hormone changes
• Hunger
• Illness
• Lack of sleep
• Muscle tension in the neck, shoulders or jaw

At University of Miami Health System, our headache experts work with you to uncover the cause of your headaches and find a solution to fit your lifestyle. Our experts care for headaches in both adults and children. The goals of each clinical visit is to get an accurate diagnosis and to develop a headache care plan that emphasizes prevention, risk reduction, safety, and your return to well-being. Consultation and referral services are enriched with patient education and interdisciplinary referrals when appropriate. The team is supported by an outpatient infusion center and inpatient headache unit.

Tests

Evaluation
During an exam, your neurologist will ask you many questions about your headaches, including when they occur, where they cause pain in your head, and what makes them feel better.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Your doctor may order an MRI to rule out some causes of headache, such as issues with the central nervous system.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
Computed tomography is a type of X-ray that takes many images of your brain and helps your doctor look for any problems.

Treatments

Headache Education
Your neurologist may ask you to keep a headache journal, including foods you have eaten, caffeine level, hours of sleep, or other information that may reveal what triggers your headaches.

Lifestyle Changes
You may need to drink more water, get at least eight hours of sleep, avoid caffeine, or avoid other ingredients in food such as nitrates or MSG.

Stress Management
If your headaches are the result of stress, you may benefit from counseling and the use of techniques like meditation or deep breathing exercises.

Over-The-Counter Medicines
Many prescription headache medicines are not approved for children. Ibuprofen and other over-the-counter medicines may help relieve headaches.

Prescription Medicines
Different medicines can help prevent headaches or relieve headaches when they occur. Your headache treatment plan may include both types of medicine.

Why Choose UHealth?

Specialized headache services. Our team has more than 70 renowned research and clinical faculty in most of the neurological sub-specialties. Together with UHealth’s expert neurosurgeons, U.S. News and World Report ranked us in the top 50 among teams in the country, and our department ranked in the top 16 in NIH funding.

Top-rated neurology team. Did you know that 30 percent of people who are sent to specialized centers for difficult seizures find out they were misdiagnosed?  An inaccurate epilepsy diagnosis could mean years of costly and unnecessary medications. The expert physicians at our state-of-the-art International Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (ICEC) provide you with a comprehensive medical evaluation, so you get the right diagnosis and the right treatment the first time you are evaluated.

High case volume. Our neurologists are experienced and knowledgeable. The number of patients our department has cared for is impressive; as an example, there are about 2,500 patients with movement disorders, 2000 patients with multiple sclerosis, 1000 patients with cognitive impairment, 1500 with stroke and about 300 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Experts in pediatric neurology.The pediatric neurology specialists at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in affiliation with Holtz Children's Hospital and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, are committed to the diagnosis and treatment of childhood-onset neurologic disorders, including chronic headaches.