Headaches occur when pain-sensitive areas inside or outside of the head or neck are affected by inflammation, movement, spasms, or a variety of other situations. These pain-sensitive areas can include muscles, blood vessels, the skin, nerves, and sinuses, to name a few.
Because there are so many pain-sensitive areas in the head and neck, there are many conditions that can cause headaches. To help separate these causes of headaches, healthcare providers will often categorize headaches into one of three different categories:
- Acute headaches, which are headaches that are new in onset or are clearly different from any that have been experienced before
- Subacute headaches, which occur over a period of weeks to months
- Chronic headaches, which are headaches that have occurred for years.
There are many different causes of acute headaches. In some cases, an acute headache may signify something serious. In other cases, they may occur with less serious conditions, like a viral infection or fever.
Some possible causes of acute headaches include: