Mommy, my head hurts.
From the moment your little one enters this world, it can be a guessing game on what they are thinking and feeling. Your child may be too young to tell you what's wrong. They may cry and hold their head to indicate severe pain or say they have pain and touch their head. Your child may need more than the comfort of your loving arms.
"Headaches are the number one cause for missed school days,
which prevent them from performing well in the classroom."
~ Mellekate Vishwas, MD
Just like Mommy and Daddy, children get headaches too, including migraine or stress-related (tension) headaches. Your child's headache can usually be treated with over-the-counter pain medications (Tylenol/Ibuprofen) and/or other lifestyle measures (relaxation techniques). "Parents will normally treat headaches with aspirin or ibuprofen, which is fine unless the headaches continue. At that point, it may be time to visit a primary care provider," Union Health neurologist Dr. Vishwas said. Be sure to strictly follow the dosing directions on the package to avoid harmful side effects. "Sometimes if children take too many over-the-counter pain medications over time, it can actually contribute to more headaches, creating an overuse headache," Dr. Vishwas added.
When to see your family physician
Your child's headache could be caused by an infection, high levels of stress or anxiety (family arguments), or minor head trauma (falling off bicycle or monkey bars). "It is crucial to identify problems because there are so many treatment options," Dr. Vishwas stated. Most headaches your child will have may be nothing to worry about. But it is essential to seek prompt medical care if your child wakes up in the middle of the night with one. Or, if the headaches worsen or become more frequent. "Headaches are the number one cause for missed school days, which prevent them from performing well in the classroom," Dr. Vishwas said.
Pay attention to your child's ever-changing personality. Have you noticed if the headaches are following an injury, such as a blow to the head? Is your child consistently vomiting or having changes to how they can see? Are the headaches accompanied by fever and neck pain or stiffness? "Other causes can be something much more worrisome, like a tumor. The probability of a tumor is very low, but it needs to be looked at. With children, we are dealing with a developing brain, and all angles need to be examined," Dr. Vishwas shared.
Give yourself peace of mind and call your child's primary care physician today if your child's headaches become more frequent.
Mellekate Vishwas, MD is a Neurologist with Union Health and has additional certifications in Child Neurology.