A migraine is a recurrent headache that is both painful and often accompanied with other symptoms. Often times, people confuse a migraine and a headache, leading to confusion and lack of judgment in treatment. A migraine attack can happen in four phases, each creating different symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to think, feel, and act.
Southwest Spine and Pain Center is the elite pan practice in Utah, with four locations statewide. Offering better treatment options and quality care, Southwest Spine and Pain Center continues to lead the industry of pain practices. Migraine headaches promote pain often in the worst way possible. The following information outlines the four phases of migraines and how to know if you are experiencing a debilitating headache attacks.
Phase 1: Prodrome.
Often called the “preheadache” or “premonitory” phase, prodrome occurs hours or days before any other sign of a migraine arises. Possible symptoms of the prodrome phase are:
- Neck pain
- Hyperactivity
- Food cravings
- Fatigue/ excessive yawning
- Difficulty concentrating
- Excessive urination
- Mood changes
Phase 2: Aura.
Roughly 25 percent of migraine sufferers experience aura. This phase serves as a warning that a migraine will soon attack. Aura can actually give patients more time to treat the migraine before it progresses into the headache phase. These symptoms are often associated with aura:
- Allodynia: painful hypersensitivity to touch and feel
- Aphasia
- Hallucinations: hearing sounds that are not really there
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Vertigo: loss of balance
- Blurred vision
Phase 3: Headache.
This is usually the most painful stage of a migraine. Symptoms may actually occur in other parts of the body, not solely the head. Painful symptoms may range from mild to severe, often misleading people as to being affected by headache or migraine. Symptoms of the headache phase include:
- Frequent one-sided pain: the pain often shifts from side to side.
- Pulsating and throbbing pain
- Pain worsened through physical activity
- Confusion
- Dehydration
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Hot flashes/chills
- Nasal congestion
- Inflamed trigeminal nerve, promoting pain around the eyes and sinus area
Phase 4: Postdrome.
After a migraine attack, sufferers often feel drained, sometimes described as a hangover feeling. Symptoms of postdrome are:
- Fatigue
- Low mood levels: depression
- Poor concentration
Keeping a pain journal may be helpful to help identify your frequent headache attacks and to see which stages affect you most. If you or someone you know suffers from frequent migraine attacks, contact a Southwest Spine and Pain Center immediately. Learn about lifestyle changes that will help relieve pain and corresponding symptoms.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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