Stop letting headaches ruin your life — CommoSpirit Health offers expert solutions

In a world that demands constant connectivity, the occasional headache is often dismissed as a mere byproduct of a stressful day. You pop an over-the-counter pill, dim the lights and soldier on.

But for the thousands of patients walking through the doors of CommonSpirit Health, a headache is far from just a bad day. It's a legitimate, often debilitating neurological condition.

"It is our primary job to validate our patients," Dr. Sunil Rathore, a neurologist with CommonSpirit Health, says.

"Many patients come to us feeling dismissed by family or employers who view their pain as a sign of weakness or stress. We want them to know that we view their experience as a clinical reality that demands evidence-based, compassionate intervention."

And it's an important issue to address.

The World Health Organization reports that 40% of the global population suffers from headache disorders. Most are women, but people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds can be affected. And left untreated, chronic headache disorders can have consequences beyond the pain itself.

"The long-term effort of coping with a chronic headache disorder may also predispose the individual to other illnesses," the WHO explains. "For example, anxiety and depression are significantly more common in people who experience migraines than in healthy individuals."

There's a good chance that either you or someone you know suffers from regular headaches. If you're searching for some much-needed relief, here's what you need to know.

Understanding different types of headaches

To get the right treatment, you first need to understand exactly what you're dealing with. It may be a tension headache, migraine, cluster headache, cervicogenic headache or something else.

So how do you tell the difference?

The distinction between a tension headache and a migraine is a common point of confusion. While tension headaches feel like a tight band around the head, migraines are complex neurological events.

"A migraine is not just a 'bad headache,'" Dr. Mohammad Shoari, also a neurologist at CommonSpirit, explains. "It involves a cascade of changes in the brain, often involving sensory sensitivity, and nausea."

In today's digital landscape, the rise of "tech-neck" and prolonged screen time has become a frequent topic in the exam room. Dr. Shoari notes that while blue light is a factor, the postural strain from hovering over devices is a major, often overlooked, culprit.

"Our digital lifestyle has undoubtedly increased the frequency of cervicogenic headaches," he says. "We aren't just looking for someone to blame; the physical mechanics of modern work are creating new clinical challenges."

Once you understand what may be contributing to your headaches, finding the right treatment can be easier. The medical professionals at CommonSpirit can help.

Finding pain relief without medication

To cope with head pain, some people rely heavily on medication to stop an attack in its tracks. The problem is that using too much medication can cause further problems.

"Rebound headaches, also known as medication overuse headaches, are caused by the frequent or excessive use of pain-relieving and/or antimigraine drugs to treat headache attacks that are already in progress," Dr. Sait Ashina warns in an article for Harvard Health.

In other words, that same medication you take to relieve your pain can trigger more headaches if you take them too often.

Beyond medication overuse headaches, some painkillers, including ibuprofen, have other adverse effects if you take them too frequently. A study on PubMed Central warns that long-term use of ibuprofen can lead to damage of the stomach, kidneys, heart or nervous system.

For those wary of long-term reliance on painkillers, the landscape of management has shifted dramatically. At CommonSpirit Health, the focus has moved beyond the prescription bottle toward comprehensive wellness.

"We are seeing incredible results with breakthrough therapies, such as CGRP inhibitors and Botox for chronic migraine, alongside lifestyle interventions," Rathore says. "Physical therapy for neck alignment, sleep management, stress management and specialized nerve blocks are essential and complementary treatment options."

When you should call a doctor

As painful as they are, most headaches resolve on their own. But for some, there's a nagging fear that it might be something worse.

Both doctors emphasize that while most headaches are primary disorders, patients must be vigilant.

"Red flags are clear signals that you need professional evaluation immediately," Dr. Shoari warns. "If you experience a 'thunderclap' headache — the worst pain of your life that hits within seconds — or if a headache is accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, vision loss, or weakness on one side of the body, do not wait. These can be emergencies."

At CommonSpirit Health, the goal is simple: to transform the way patients live by treating the root cause of their pain. If you are tired of living in the shadow of a headache, you don't have to suffer in silence.

Expert neurological care is closer than you think. For more information, visit: mountain.commonspirit.org.

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