Shooting headaches: possible causes and how to get rid of them. Shoots in the head on the left and right sides How to treat shoots in the head at home

There is hardly at least one person who is not familiar with such a problem as a headache. It can have a very diverse character, different localization and duration, accompanied by other painful symptoms. Particular concern is caused by pain in the head, which appears suddenly and is very intense. One of these is shooting cranialgia.

Often people are very frightened by the fact that there is a shooting in the head. Some are even afraid to move or breathe, so as not to cause a new lumbago. What is the reason this symptom and how to deal with such a headache?

The nature of shooting cranialgia

First, it is necessary to clarify that shooting cranialgia, which is what is called in medicine this type headache is never an independent condition. This is always one of the symptoms of the underlying disease, which causes lumbago.

A shooting headache is neurogenic in nature and is caused by pathological impulses along the nerve fibers. The nerve impulse can radiate both to its origin (the lower part of the brain, where almost all 12 pairs of cranial nerves begin) and to the periphery, where the final branches of the damaged nerve fiber are located.

Thus, shooting pain has its own strict direction, which can be clearly defined by the patient, which is associated with the circulation of a pathological nerve impulse along the nerve. If the impulse is single, then the pain is determined by the patient in the form of a single lumbago, but if the impulse becomes frequent, then the patient feels several lumbago in a row, which acquire a character similar to pulsation.

Depending on who, which nerve the damaged nerve innervates, the localization of shooting cranialgia depends. For example, with neuralgia trigeminal nerve(the most common cause of lumbago in the head), the pain will spread in the direction of the damaged branch of the nerve - the frontal area, the eye area or the upper jaw.

The sensation of the depth of pain also depends on which nerve is damaged. For example, with neuralgia, shooting pain spreads from the back of the neck to the skin of the back of the head and is defined by patients as superficial pain, and with inflammation of the vestibulocochlear nerve, which innervates the inner ear, nerve impulses go deep and the shooting is felt deep in the head.

A characteristic feature of shooting cranialgia is the presence of trigger zones and points, the stimulation of which leads to a new shooting.

For example, with trigeminal neuralgia, opening the mouth can cause an attack of pain. Similar points exist when other nerves are damaged.

Possible causes of shooting headaches

Why do the described pathological impulses arise? There are several reasons for their origin and circulation. Most often, this is inflammation of an infectious or non-infectious nature, compression of nerve fibers by surrounding tissues, mechanical damage(rupture, blow, sprain), degenerative lesions of the myelin sheath of the nerve (demyelinating diseases), inflammation of tissue near the passage of the nerve.

The causes of shooting cranialgia are presented in table form.

Mechanism of pain	Pathological condition
Organic pathology of the peripheral nerve	Trigeminal neuralgia; Inflammation of the glossopharyngeal nerve; Compression of these fibers by tumors, their mechanical damage; Post-traumatic neuralgia; Toxic damage to nerve fibers – chemical poisoning, chronic alcoholism; Polyneuropathy in diabetes mellitus.
Cervicogenic cranialgia	Occurs with pathology of the cervical spine - osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, herniated disc, when nerve fibers are compressed by osteophytes.
Diseases of the eye, nose, ear (infectious and simple inflammatory)	In this case, the corresponding nerve becomes inflamed, which becomes the cause of cranialgia.
Pathological processes that occur near the nerve	Systemic vasculitis - temporal arteritis can cause shooting pain in the temples; Inflammation of the maxillotemporal joint; Purulent bone lesion facial skull(osteomyelitis); Tumors of the brain and other localizations in the head area, as well as some other neoplasms, for example, abscesses and hematomas.

Features of the clinical picture

Despite the cause of the lumbago in the head and its location, all patients characterize this type of headache as a sudden lumbago that lasts only a fraction of a second or a few seconds. The head always shoots from one side only, there are never shots from both sides at the same time. The lumbago can be either single or multiple. Sometimes patients can indicate what exactly provokes the pain, for example, chewing, and sometimes no connection can be discerned. The location of the lumbago depends on which nerve is damaged.

Video about what a headache hides

As a rule, shooting cranialgia is an acute condition, but if a person does not seek medical help, then cranialgia can become chronic, and getting rid of it is much more difficult, since the immediate cause, for example, inflammation, has long been absent, but the circulation of the nerve impulse has acquired a pathological character and functions in a vicious circle.

It is very important to tell the specialist all the details of the pain; it is necessary to mention what provokes it and what causes it to go away. This will allow the specialist to quickly guess the diagnosis and prescribe the necessary examinations to clarify it.

Depending on the location of the pain, its cause can be assumed:

frontal area of the head - lesion facial nerve or superior branch of the trigeminal;
parietal area of the head - damage to the superficial branches of many nerves that innervate the scalp
temporal area – pathology temporal artery(vasculitis), damage to the maxillotemporal joint, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve trunk;
occipital area – damage to the occipital nerves, which most often are cervicogenic in nature;
middle part of the face and upper jaw– neuralgia of the middle branch of the trigeminal nerve;
lower part of the face – damage to the lower branch of the trigeminal nerve
deep shooting pain – damage to the nerves of the ear and eye (oculomotor, trochlear, facial, etc.)

Most common reasons

Let us consider the nosological forms of diseases that cause shooting cranialgia in more than 70% of cases.

Trigeminal neuralgia

This is, as a rule, a pathology prone to chronicity, and manifests itself as intense and shooting in the area of innervation of the trigeminal nerve.

There are several reasons for the development of neuralgia:

compression of the nerve trunk at the site of its exit from the cranial cavity, for example, by a tumor, aneurysm, or abnormally located vessels;
inflammation of the nerve of an infectious or non-infectious nature (frequent hypothermia, lesions chronic infection in the area of innervation of this nerve - carious teeth, chronic ENT pathology);
mechanical damage to the nerve, for example, a blow to the face, damage during surgery.

The only symptom of trigeminal neuralgia is a sharp one-sided pain shooting character (“like an electric shock”). The attacks of pain are short, up to about 10 seconds, but there are also attacks of a long nature (up to 2 minutes). The number of attacks per day varies among different people from single to large quantities.

An attack of shooting cranialgia with neuralgia of the 5th pair of cranial nerves is often accompanied by the release of tears and a large amount of saliva. It is also typical to have trigger points and zones that activate pain. Provocateurs for lumbago can include chewing, yawning, touching certain parts of the face, brushing teeth, and even talking. This significantly complicates a person’s life and, given that the pathology occurs over many years, reduces its quality.

Acute and chronic otitis media

This is an inflammatory disease of the middle ear. Most often occurs in children due to anatomical and physiological characteristics. Therefore, if a child complains of shooting pain in the head and ear, then first of all it is necessary to exclude otitis media.

The cause of otitis is acute respiratory viral infections, which enter the middle ear from the nasopharynx through the Eustachian tube. Also etiological factor There may also be pathological microorganisms when chronic pathology ENT organs.

Symptoms of otitis include a sharp shooting pain that occurs in the ear and radiates deep into the head. At the same time, the temperature rises, general malaise develops, and pathological discharge from the external ear canal. In some cases, hearing may be impaired.

This is a very dangerous disease because purulent process may spread to structures surrounding the middle ear (temporal bone, brain tissue, inner ear).

Cervicogenic headache

This type of headache is widespread due to common pathology cervical spine. This headache is also called cervical migraine, occipital neuralgia, Bare-Lieu syndrome, cervical sympathetic syndrome.

The cause of pain is irritation or compression of the branches of the occipital nerves by osteophytes in cervical spondylosis or a herniated disc.

The pain is quite specific. It is one-sided, spreads from the cervical-occipital area to the anterior parts of the head, the nature of the pain is shooting. Accompanied by other symptoms of cervicogenic osteochondrosis - vertebrobasilar insufficiency syndrome, pain in the neck and shoulder girdle, and various autonomic disorders.

Modern possibilities for correcting shooting cranialgia

It is important to remember that self-prescription of treatment for shooting pain in the head is unacceptable. It is imperative to seek specialized medical help from a neurologist, since the causes of such pain may be hidden in very life-threatening conditions, to exclude which the doctor will prescribe an MRI or CT scan of the brain.

Treatment of shooting cranialgia will be successful only if the true cause of the pain is established. In this case, therapy for the underlying disease can completely relieve you of lumbago in the head.

As a rule, conventional medications for headaches are not suitable in this case, since the cause of the pain is completely different, and when to take them if the pain lasts a few seconds and it is not clear when it will return again. Because the only thing the right option is complete medical checkup with mandatory consultation with a neurologist, vertebrologist and ENT doctor.

Video broadcast about trigeminal neuralgia:

Principles of treatment of trigeminal neuralgia

To eliminate pain in this disease, the drug carbamazepine, which belongs to the group of anticonvulsants, is used. The dose of carbamazepine is selected individually in each case, its effect lasts approximately 4-5 hours, treatment continues until the exacerbation of neuralgia subsides.

In a comprehensive conservative treatment Various physiotherapeutic procedures, regional blockades with anesthetics and amidopyrine, B vitamins and restoratives are used.

If drug treatment does not bring the desired result, surgical correction neuralgia. During the operation, the nerve root is destroyed by radio waves or various toxic substances, and decompression is also performed if something presses on the nerve.

Principles of treatment of otitis media

Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial therapy depending on the type and type of infectious agent. At the same time, sanitation of chronic foci of infection, analgesic therapy, immunomodulatory and restorative treatment are carried out. In some cases it is necessary to resort to surgery- incision eardrum to eliminate pus from the middle ear cavity.

Principles of treatment of cervicogenic cranialgia

Treatment of cervicogenic cranialgia is primarily aimed at eliminating pain and muscle spasm in the neck. The treatment program includes both drug therapy (NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, analgesics, chondroprotectors, B vitamins) and non-drug correction (physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises, massage, manual therapy, osteopathy, reflexology). The operation is performed only in extreme cases - when a hernia of the cervical spine compresses spinal cord.

Taking into account all of the above, one very important conclusion can be drawn - it is necessary to treat shooting cranialgia immediately after its occurrence. In this case, the success of therapy will be maximum, and the treatment itself will not be too long and dangerous.

At times, many of us experience right-sided shooting pain in the head. As a rule, it occurs with quite strong unpleasant sensations. It often occurs completely unexpectedly and is chronic or acute in nature. When a sick person, unable to predict the onset of the next lumbago, feels inner anxiety.

Sometimes this may be due to cold weather, if the head or cervical region is blown by the wind. This disease is also called shooting cranialgia in the medical community, which in most cases is a consequence of some disease. Requiring mandatory medical supervision and not independent treatment.

How to recognize cranialgia

What does cranialgia mean? This is a symptom that has a neurological basis. It is often localized in the nerves and soft tissues of the occipital trunk and is transmitted by nerve impulses through peripheral nerves. Such an illness can be caused by previous injuries, as well as inflammatory processes.

As a result of this, a rapid transition of nerve impulses from a passive state to an active one occurs. When an impulse arises, it begins to irritate the tissues, thereby causing a right-sided headache. Sometimes the reason why cranialgia occurs is a disorder in the central nervous system. When pathological changes occur in nerve cells against the background of a protracted disease. Which entailed following symptoms:

Head pain occurs in the form of attacks.
The lumbago can last for 10 hours or appear periodically.
Severe pain occurs acutely, especially when tilting or turning the head.

Shoots in the cervical and shoulder regions. Location: occipital or temporal part of the head.
With cranialgia, the symptoms of vomiting and nausea do not improve, but only worsen the patient’s condition.
There is a feeling of numbness in the arms and legs. The patient feels pain in the face and cervical region.
There are unpleasant and tugging painful symptoms in the head that affect the deterioration of hearing and gait.

Based on the above symptoms that occur with shooting pains in the head with right side the patient may also experience high body temperature. Including increased blood pressure, a disturbance in the mental background characterized by high irritability of a person. When even taking painkillers does not achieve the desired result.

What can cause the disease

Shooting headaches often occur in people with pathology of the cervical spine. For example, osteochondrosis with this disease has a huge risk of feeling a sensation of shooting in the neck against the background of pinched blood vessels and arteries. Where there is most curvature of the spine, such disorders are sometimes the main place for pain localization.

Migraine

This form of the disease also contributes to the development of shooting pain in the head. This is especially true for those who often experience long-term syndrome migraine. Women who have already had similar experiences in their family are more susceptible to this. Often they are the ones who are forced to suffer from unilateral neurological pain in the head.

You can talk about this ailment with shooting pain if the sick person has ailments in the temporal region. Its strength can be different, it all depends on the level of influence cerebrospinal fluid on brain structures. Sometimes this can cause the patient to exhibit symptoms of seizures, dizziness, nausea and a gag reflex.

Ear infection

The cause of the shooting pain in the head is quite reasonable, perhaps purulent otitis media or sinusitis. The point is that any inflammatory manifestations in the middle ear subsequently, if the disease is not treated on time, it can lead to a large accumulation of purulent formations. Thereby causing irritation of nerve receptors in a person suffering from otitis media or sinusitis, provoking a shooting headache.

To prevent this in any form of otolaryngological diseases, it is important to be treated while under medical supervision. Drink antibacterial drugs aimed at eliminating pus, attend physiotherapeutic procedures in order to get rid of the inflammatory process.

If after an injury a person has been damaged ternary nerve, then as a result he may experience shooting pains in the head, photophobia, lacrimation, changes taste sensations. In this case, as a rule, anticonvulsants are prescribed to eliminate the disease. Occasionally, surgical intervention may be necessary; it is necessary in case of inserting a special plate into the area of squeezing the blood vessels.

Arthritis

The symptoms of arthritis are somewhat similar to those of a migraine. However, there is a difference; arthritis; its main cause is the pathology of the temporomandibular joint. Otherwise, it is also called temporal arteritis, which occurs more often among older people. The consequence of this disease is an inflammatory process and an aneurysm. carotid artery, more often it is this reason that causes discomfort in the temporal and occipital regions of the brain.

How to treat cranialgia symptoms

Left-sided pain in the head should not be treated with independent methods; first you need to undergo a thorough examination in the hospital. Taking into account all the procedures prescribed by the doctor aimed at eliminating the identified disease.

In this case, the following techniques will play a major role in treatment:

Physiotherapeutic procedures. Mainly prescribed for the treatment of neuralgia or neuritis. Diseases of the cervical spine that occur after exposure to extreme cold or draft. The effective properties of physiotherapy consist in warming the site of pain, these include paraffin-ozokerite application or a compress with dimexide. In extreme cases, lotions with the addition of alcohol are used. The most common ones are: electrophoresis, iontophoresis, laser therapy, UHF therapy. Sometimes magnetic procedures or even galvanic current may be used. The choice of technique will depend entirely on the diagnosis made by the attending physician.

Taking vitamin complexes, especially vitamins belonging to group B are worth mentioning.
Application of water massage. It is necessary to enhance blood circulation from the cervical region to the brain area.
Light massage pressure on acupuncture points also helps solve the problem of shooting pain in the head. They are safe, so they can be prescribed regardless of the identified cause. During the day, massage can be done at least 2-3 times a day.

Use of medications

Pharmaceuticals are used in almost all situations when headaches occur. They are prescribed in the same way as they are taken according to the doctor’s recommendations. In this case, and, in general, under no circumstances should you engage in independent selection of medications if you have health problems.

Such an attitude can only worsen the patient's condition. For example, in case of severe pain, the doctor may prescribe anesthetics to the patient. local application. For chronic symptoms, Baclofen, Gabapentin or Carbamazepine.

A headache always gives a person some discomfort, especially if the pain is localized and on the right side. Very often, not paying attention to this condition, the patient simply drinks, painful sensations painkillers and that’s where it all ends, but you should understand that they do not go away without a trace and develop into a chronic stage.

Pain at this stage occurs more and more often, becomes more severe, but what is typical is that it disappears as unexpectedly as it appeared. Attacks can occur unexpectedly at any time of the day.

Whatever pains and lumbago a patient has in medicine, they are called cranialgia. The occurrence of these painful sensations in the head on the right side can occur for various reasons, in most cases it is a symptom of minor injuries or even hypothermia.

To make a correct diagnosis of the patient, studies are sent. It is also necessary to remember that if pain of this nature begins to bother you very often, you should immediately seek advice from a specialist in order not only to establish the cause, but to begin treatment.

Causes of lumbago in the head on the right side

Very often, lumbago in the head on the right side turns out to be one of the types. As for the causes of migraines, they are associated with the blood vessels of the brain.

If the patient experiences vasodilation, this may affect the blood vessels, resulting in severe pain, dizziness, gagging, and sensitivity to sound and light stimuli.

It must be remembered that migraines do not tend to occur suddenly. Before the patient begins to feel this condition, he experiences the following symptoms:

Visual anomaly.
Ripple.
Bright circles before the eyes.
Skin tingling.
The head becomes “heavy”.

It should also be noted that migraines mainly occur on the right side of the head in women. This condition may be hereditary. Shooting in the head can tell the patient that some kind of pathology associated with the cervical spine is developing in the body. Osteochondrosis of this calving occurs at any age due to a sedentary lifestyle. It can negatively affect blood vessels, arteries, and nerve endings.

Osteochondrosis is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Loss of consciousness.
Stitching pain in the neck, shoulder blades and ears.
Vomiting.

Osteochondrosis is considered one of the main minor causes of lumbago in the head on the right side. To establish the exact cause, you need to contact a specialist for qualified help.

Also, the causes of lumbago can be more serious:

Neoplasms in the brain area. They often provoke severe pain. Painful symptom with this pathological condition develops gradually, initial stage There are no severe pain sensations. If the patient has a tumor, then he general state gradually worsens, especially in the morning, the headache is accompanied by malaise, dizziness, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
Oscillatory process of the brain due to mechanical injury. In this situation, headache is considered natural reaction body. In rare cases, pain may occur after some time, so after receiving an injury it is worth undergoing an examination to identify pathology inside the skull.
Intracranial bleeding. In this condition, the patient notes vomiting, severe and frequent dizziness, loss of orientation, and blurred vision. The patient requires hospitalization.

It is also worth noting that with temporomandibular tension and malocclusion, a person may also experience lumbago in the head on the right side. Often the problem of lumbago is psychogenic in nature. In such a situation, it is recommended to pay attention to lifestyle, nutrition and physical activity.

Treatment. What to do?

The problem with eliminating this pathological condition is that painkillers in rare cases can help in some way. If a lumbago in the head appeared suddenly and also disappeared, then the drug simply will not have time to have an effect. The first thing that is recommended to do is contact a specialist and undergo an examination that will help identify the real cause of the disease. You shouldn’t put off your visit until later and mask your headaches with ineffective medications.

The results of the examination help prescribe effective drug treatment, a set of measures that will help alleviate the patient’s suffering. The complex includes:

Heat compresses.
Laser therapy, magnetic exposure, ultra-high frequency therapy, iontophoresis.
Massotherapy.
Water procedures.
Vitamin complex.

If the disease is at an advanced stage and there is multiple damage to nerve endings, then the patient is prescribed Baclofen, Gabapentin. Any procedure must be agreed upon with a specialist. Quick treatment can only be carried out at the initial stage of the disease, so at the first signs you should go straight to a specialist.

Most often, pain in the head area, which has a shooting character, appears due to pathological conditions such as osteochondrosis, migraine, inflammatory processes in the ENT organs, as well as neuralgia and other diseases.

The reason that contributes to the development of a very unpleasant and sharp shooting pain in the head is often damage or compression of the nerves in the back of the head and spine. These symptoms occur with spondylosis, hernias, cervical osteochondrosis, and protrusion.

Severe shooting pain may indicate such serious pathologies, such as neuralgia, polyneuropathy, neuritis, and other diseases that appear against the background of damage to the structure in this case, peripheral nerves.

Negative processes affecting nerve branches also contribute to the development of pain in the head in the form of lumbago. Shooting pain is characteristic of an aneurysm, cyst, abscess, osteomyelitis.

They cause shooting pain and diseases of the ENT organs, in particular purulent otitis media, sinusitis, and sinusitis. Shooting can also occur due to inflammatory processes in the eyes, or rather, the eye sockets.

A sharp, cramping pain in the head, radiating to the neck or shoulder, is more popularly known as lumbago. An attack of such pain can last from 10 seconds to several hours, intensifying with the slightest movement of the head. Often, lumbago is accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

The main reason for the occurrence of lumbago is various disorders peripheral nerve endings. In turn, these disorders can occur due to injury or inflammation.

The causes of lumbago in the head include:

Spinal diseases in which spinal nerves are compressed. This, for example, occurs with osteochondrosis, cervical spondylosis, disc protrusion and intervertebral hernia.
Diseases arising from dysfunction of peripheral nerves: neuralgia caused by various injuries; polyneuropathy caused chronic poisoning; acute inflammation trigeminal nerve.
Diseases of the sensory organs. With pathologies such as purulent otitis media, sinusitis, sinusitis, etc., damage occurs to the nerve fibers located in the head. Therefore, sharp shooting sensations appear - impulses that are characteristic specifically of neurological diseases.
Inflammatory processes localized near nerve branches. A sharp shooting pain in the head can signal various neoplasms in the head, aneurysms, and osteomyelitis.

Sometimes cranialgia is caused by banal hypothermia. In this case, it appears literally a day or two after walking in the cold wind.

There can be many reasons for lumbago in the head. The nature of the pain will help determine the specific etiology of the disease.

A lumbago appearing above the right eyebrow is most likely the result of a draft. With this pathology, the pain may intensify after any touch.
Shooting pains in the temples on the left and right may indicate cervical osteochondrosis. Typically, with this pathology, lumbago is not accompanied by nausea or vomiting, and the pain syndrome is reduced by massage on the spine in the cervical area.
Shooting impulses in the crown of the head are a manifestation of some pathology that is localized in the very center of the skull. Often this symptom appears after a traumatic brain injury.
Shooting pain in the back of the head is an ailment, the cause of which is most likely osteochondrosis, spondylosis or intervertebral hernia. The symptom usually worsens when bending or turning the head.
Shooting behind the ears that gets worse when talking and chewing may indicate a sore tooth. If sharp pain appeared on the right - it is in this direction that you need to look for caries. Shooting pain on the left, accordingly, indicates that the problem tooth is on the left side.
Shooting pains on the right or left, radiating to the back of the head and ears, may occur due to otitis media.

Wherever it appears, pain in the head prevents a person from living normally. It must be fought.

Shoots in the head on the right side - causes and what to do

What causes such pain? Shooting cranialgia is a symptom of many other diseases; it occurs periodically, sending signals to the brain about the problem. The feeling as if an electric current is being given occurs for a number of reasons, which are diseases various directions and degrees of severity. Doctors identify several diseases that have shooting headaches as symptoms.

Otolaryngology

If there is a shooting in the head, this is a sign of a disease of the organs of hearing, smell and taste, as well as other organs that are the field of research and treatment of otolaryngology. In this case, shooting pains occur due to inflammation of the organs. For example, if you have a sore throat or ear with the flu, it shoots in your nose.

Bacteria that spread inflammation move to the nerve endings associated with the otolaryngological organs, then the nerves send a pain signal to the brain, notifying about inflammation in the body. In this case, twitching in the head at the site of inflammation: near the ear, nose, throat or in the middle ear - right inside the head. In this case, impulse pain is a sign of the following diseases:

sinusitis;
sinusitis;
tubo-otitis;
purulent otitis media.

Problems with the osteoarticular apparatus

Diseases and pathologies of the osteoarticular system also include shooting in the head as part of their symptoms. In this case, there may be a shooting in the head due to the fact that the nerve fibers located close to the junction of bones and joints, mainly at the spine, when they are diseased or pathological, are pinched by the junction. The nervous system sends a signal to the nerve endings of the head, and they send a twitching a signal to the brain that it hurts.

Jerking pain in the head occurs with the following diseases of the osteoarticular system:

intervertebral hernia;
osteochondrosis;
neuralgia;
pathologies of intervertebral discs;
diseases of the cervical spine.

Problems with the autonomic ganglia

Autonomic ganglia- these are the endings of the nervous system belonging to the spinal cord and brain. If the nerve hurts, then problems in the head area are identified. In this case, twitching is caused by diseases of the brain, nervous system, joints, bones of the head and neck:

inflammation of the joints, bones of the head and jaw;
emergence malignant tumors and cysts;
excessive stress;
lack of sleep;
overwork;
PMS syndrome;
cerebral aneurysms.

Ophthalmology

A jerking headache is a sign of eye disease. Inflammation reaches the nerves, which causes an unpleasant pulsating sensation in the head.

Damage to peripheral sensory endings

This feeling occurs in the head, even if a person has problems with the limbs. In the case of fractures or bruises that are not noticed in time by the patient or the attending physician, with the help of such painful sensations the brain signals a serious problem in the peripheral nervous system. This sensation occurs in large quantities cases:

fractures;
bruises and blows;
gangrene;
shake;
internal inflammation.

This form of the disease also contributes to the development of shooting pain in the head. This is especially true for those who often experience long-term migraine syndrome. Women who have already had similar experiences in their family are more susceptible to this. Often they are the ones who are forced to suffer from unilateral neurological pain in the head.

Intracranial pressure

You can talk about this ailment with shooting pain if the sick person has ailments in the temporal region. Its strength can be different, it all depends on the level of influence of the cerebrospinal fluid on the structures of the brain. Sometimes this can cause the patient to exhibit symptoms of seizures, dizziness, nausea and a gag reflex.

Ear infection

To prevent this in any form of otolaryngological diseases, it is important to be treated under medical supervision. Drink antibacterial drugs aimed at eliminating pus, attend physiotherapeutic procedures in order to get rid of the inflammatory process.

Trigeminal neuralgia

If, after an injury, a person’s ternary nerve is damaged, then as a result he may experience shooting pains in the head, photophobia, lacrimation, and changes in taste sensations. In this case, as a rule, anticonvulsants are prescribed to eliminate the disease. Occasionally, surgical intervention may be necessary; it is necessary in case of inserting a special plate into the area of squeezing the blood vessels.

The symptoms of arthritis are somewhat similar to those of a migraine. However, there is a difference; arthritis; its main cause is the pathology of the temporomandibular joint. Otherwise, it is also called temporal arteritis, which occurs more often among older people. The consequence of this disease is an inflammatory process and aneurysm of the carotid artery; more often, it is this cause that causes discomfort in the temporal and occipital regions of the brain.

To successfully treat and prevent attacks of shooting pain in the head, first of all you need to determine the causes of this condition.

Regardless of the origin of the pain, its mechanism is always the same: the strength of the impulse traveling along the nerve to the organ or tissue increases tenfold and does not slow down.

Shooting that occurs due to compression of nerve fibers in patients with spinal diseases.
Shots like consequence of cranial nerve diseases(trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal nerves, mechanical compression of nerve bundles by a neoplasm or injury, polyneuropathy in diabetes).
Shots like a consequence of inflammatory diseases of the organs of vision, hearing and smell.
Shooting pain resulting from a detrimental effect on the nerve fibers of the athological processes that occur nearby (vasculitis, inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, osteomyelitis of the skull bones, cysts, abscesses and other brain formations).

Shooting pain is often neurogenic in nature. In order for nerve structures to send impulses, a provoking factor is required - head/neck injury, inflammation of muscles/nerves, etc.

This phenomenon is called cranialgia.

It accompanies diseases such as neuritis, damage to peripheral nerves, tunnel syndromes of the cranial nerves, diseases of the organs of smell, hearing and vision, toxic polyneuropathy, sinusitis, purulent arthritis of the lower jaw joint, mastoiditis, spinal osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, abscesses/cysts in right half of the brain, tumors near the nerve trunks, vascular-neuralgic pathologies, arthritis of the temporal/occipital lobe.

Why does it shoot from the right side of the head?

Spinal diseases

Cranialgia may appear due to pathologies of the cervical spine spinal column. Most often, the causes are hidden in osteochondrosis and less often in spinal trauma, tumor, autoimmune disease.

Spinal pathologies are the main cause of shooting pain in the head. It occurs when blood vessels and arteries are compressed. As a result, it increases intracranial pressure, and sometimes the spinal vessels are pinched. Treatment directly depends on the cause of cranialgia.

Shoots in the head even with this “female” disease. Migraine is most often hereditary; has a neurological nature.

Throbbing, shooting pain can occur both with a decrease and with an increase in pressure, or appear after grass or as a result of neuralgia.

Shoots in the right or left side of the head very often due to inflammatory diseases of the organs of hearing or smell. For example, the causes may be hidden in sinusitis and purulent otitis media.

Damage to peripheral sensory endings. The most common problems are with the trigeminal, glossopharyngeal nerves. This group of causes also includes toxic alcoholic polyneuropathy, tunnel syndromes 5 and 9 pairs of cranial nerve endings.
Problems with autonomic ganglia. These causes are caused by neuralgia of the pterygopalatine ganglion or the intermediate nerve.
Otolaryngology. Problems with the organs of smell and hearing cause sensations of something shooting in the head. The cause of such pain is purulent otitis, as a result of which the pyramid is affected temporal bone, purulent mastoiditis, sinusitis in the acute phase.
Ophthalmology. Pain occurs during purulent inflammatory processes in the eye sockets, which damage the nerve endings.
Problems with the osteoarticular apparatus. Shooting sensations appear with arthritis and osteomyelitis in the temporomandibular regions.

Regardless of the cause of the pain, all patients define it as a sudden lumbago with a specific localization (in the right or left side of the head, or in the back of the head). The lumbago can radiate to the facial, temporal, parotid, frontal regions, depending on which nerve is affected and what it innervates.

A shooting headache should be distinguished from a migraine, when the appearance of the pain syndrome is preceded by so-called precursors (dizziness, auditory and visual hallucinations, blurred vision) and the pain is more of a throbbing nature. Migraine pain occurs without any cause and is an independent disease.

It is important! Shooting pain of any localization is neurogenic in nature! When you feel shooting pain in the heart area, this is a symptom of intercostal neuralgia. Pain in the heart is always either oppressive or burning in nature!

How to recognize cranialgia

Head pain occurs in the form of attacks.
The lumbago can last for 10 hours or appear periodically.
Severe pain occurs acutely, especially when tilting or turning the head.

Shoots in the cervical and shoulder regions. Location: occipital or temporal part of the head.
With cranialgia, the symptoms of vomiting and nausea do not improve, but only worsen the patient’s condition.
There is a feeling of numbness in the arms and legs. The patient feels pain in the face and cervical region.
There are unpleasant and tugging painful symptoms in the head that affect the deterioration of hearing and gait.

Based on the above symptoms that occur with shooting pains in the head on the right side, the patient may also be overcome by high body temperature. Including increased blood pressure, a disturbance in the mental background characterized by high irritability of a person. When even taking painkillers does not achieve the desired result.

Symptoms and signs of shooting headache

In some cases, accompanying symptoms manifest themselves in the form of nausea, vomiting, fever, and hearing loss. Emotional instability manifests itself, numbness of the limbs occurs, and dizziness occurs. Sometimes the gait changes and unsteadiness appears.

It is almost impossible to determine the specific point where the pain comes from. You can only specify the area where it is localized. It may be the back of the head, then the lumbago is detected with sudden movements of the head.

Shooting pain also occurs in the frontal part, mainly above the eyebrow and on the right side, as well as in the temple area. Shooting marks also appear in the center of the skull. In the parietal region they suddenly appear and disappear.

The pain can radiate to other parts of the body, in particular to the occipital region, neck, and shoulders.

Left-sided pain in the head should not be treated with independent methods; first you need to undergo a thorough examination in the hospital. Taking into account all the procedures prescribed by the doctor aimed at eliminating the identified disease.

In this case, the following techniques will play a major role in treatment:

Physiotherapeutic procedures. Mainly prescribed for the treatment of neuralgia or neuritis. Diseases of the cervical spine that occur after exposure to extreme cold or draft. The effective properties of physiotherapy consist in warming the site of pain, these include paraffin-ozokerite application or a compress with dimexide. In extreme cases, lotions with the addition of alcohol are used. The most common ones are: electrophoresis, iontophoresis, laser therapy, UHF therapy. Sometimes magnetic procedures or even galvanic current may be used. The choice of technique will depend entirely on the diagnosis made by the attending physician.

Taking vitamin complexes, especially vitamins belonging to group B are worth mentioning.
Application of water massage. It is necessary to enhance blood circulation from the cervical region to the brain area.
Light massage pressure on acupuncture points also helps solve the problem of shooting pain in the head. They are safe, so they can be prescribed regardless of the identified cause. During the day, massage can be done at least 2-3 times a day.

How to recognize cranialgia

What to do if such pain occurs? It is worth remembering that jerking pain is a sign of another disease. To find out the cause of the occurrence, consult a doctor immediately, since cranialgia mainly appears when serious illnesses requiring immediate treatment.

Doctors who diagnose shooting cranialgia immediately refer the patient for a full medical examination.

The first doctor you should contact is your primary care physician. It will accurately determine the location, frequency and duration of attacks. Based on the analysis obtained, he will identify why the pain occurs and tell you how to treat the disease. After this, the therapist will refer you to a specialist doctor in whose area the cause of the disease is located.

If the diagnosis is difficult to make, you will be referred for a full examination, including visits to all specialist doctors. IN full diagnostics includes not only visiting doctors, but also undergoing the following types of examination:

CT scan;
X-ray.

Drug therapy

If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, a disease that causes sharp pain in one place can be treated with medicines. Painkillers help relieve cranialgia.

Name	Mode of application
Mydocalm	Antibiotic. It is used for inflammation of the organs of vision, hearing, smell, as well as for local inflammation of joints and bones. Take after meals for 7 days.
Ceftriaxone	Strong antibiotic wide spectrum of action. Take 3 times a day after meals for 7 days.
Ketanov	An antibiotic that fights inflammation of the jaw and teeth. Take for a week 3 times a day after meals.
Indomethacin	An anti-inflammatory drug, taken as prescribed by a doctor, depending on the disease and intensity of pain.
Ibuprofen	Anti-inflammatory tablets that not only eliminate the cause, but also relieve the symptoms of the disease. Relieves headaches. Take no more than 2 tablets per day.
Diclofenac	Broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory drug. The frequency and duration of treatment with this drug is prescribed by the attending physician.
Paracetamol	Pain reliever, relieves painful sensations. Take no more than two tablets per day; you are allowed to drink Paracetamol for no longer. Than 10 days.
Actovegin	Nootropic drug. Use no more than 3 tablets per day for 10 days.
Piracetam	Broad-spectrum nootropic drug. Taken only as prescribed by a doctor.
Phenazepam	Strong tranquilizer. The duration and frequency of administration are prescribed by the doctor. Available only by prescription.

Traditional methods

There are also folk remedies that help relieve pain:

Massaging the back of the head, crown and cervical spine helps with shooting pain. It is recommended to massage with painkillers and warming ointments. The “Zvezdochka” balm, which copes with such pain, is also suitable.
Another way to get rid of shooting pain is warming compresses. Usually they use a dry compress of salt heated in a frying pan, or a compress of Novocaine and Dimexide mixed in a 3:1 ratio.

Such measures only help if the source of pain is problems with the neck or spine, when there is shooting behind the ear or at the back of the head. In other cases, if folk remedies do not help within 5 days, you should immediately contact the ICD.

If shooting pains in your head do not allow you to live fully, they occur frequently and the pain becomes unbearable, be sure to seek medical help. Your attending physician, having made the best guess probable reasons when pain occurs, may refer you to:

Traumatologist or vertebrologist, for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the spinal column.
ENT specialist, if inflammatory diseases of the ear, nose or throat are suspected.
An ophthalmologist to rule out inflammation of the eye sockets.
Neuropathologist to study brain functions.

If unpleasant sharp sensations occur infrequently, end quickly enough and are periodic in nature, then in most cases people see no reason to see a doctor. However, you should not let the disease take its course or try to self-medicate when you have a shooting in your head. What to do in this case should only be decided by a competent specialist.

At the same time, you should not refuse diagnostics, because the problem can only be eliminated if the cause of its occurrence is accurately determined. It is also important to know that the doctor cannot make a correct diagnosis if the patient simply tells him that there is a shooting in the head on the right or left. For diagnosis, it is important to know the frequency of these pains, their duration, the factors that provoke their onset, and other features.

No specialist can prescribe treatment without a preliminary examination. First, you should rule out possible otolaryngological problems and undergo an examination by a neurologist. If there is a shooting in the head due to inflammation of the nerve endings, then the patient will be prescribed thermal, physiotherapeutic or water treatments, massage of pain points, and drug treatment.

If a patient complains of shooting in the head, then doctors advise using heat. In a hospital inpatient setting, they can apply paraffin to the problem area, make compresses with dimexide, and apply semi-alcohol lotions. In addition, physiotherapeutic procedures are often prescribed: electrophoresis, laser therapy, UHF, iontophoresis, magnetic influence, galvanic current.

Treatment

Therapeutic measures for shooting pain in the head depend, first of all, on the causes that provoke it. It should be remembered that any pathology can be treated more quickly if it is identified and treated at early stage development.

Unfortunately, there are also diseases that cannot yet be completely cured. One of them is migraine. The attack can only be alleviated, and not every painkiller is suitable in this case. The most effective during a migraine attack are pharmaceutical drugs from the triptan group (Zomig, amigrenin, antimigraine, imigran, rapimed, sumatriptan, relaxax, trimigren, and so on). After taking the pill, it is advisable to lie down and be in complete silence and peace for at least some time, also eliminating bright light.

To make lumbago appear less frequently, you should minimize the impact harmful factors. In the case of migraines, these are overexertion, stress, overwork, alcohol abuse, smoking, uncontrolled use of medications. pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, and others.

Neuralgia requires other therapeutic measures. Most often, anticonvulsant drugs are used: muscle relaxants, vitamin complexes, including all vitamins from the B-group. For topical use, ointments that have a warming effect are prescribed.

Reduce the risk of occurrence of this disease and accordingly, pain in the head in the form of lumbago can be eliminated by constantly monitoring the strengthening of the immune system, preventing injuries and hypothermia. Moderate exercise, food with a high content of vitamins and microelements, giving up bad habits, and daily walks in the fresh air are very useful in this regard.

When there are attacks of shooting pain caused by bacterial infection, as a rule, is assigned complex treatment. Anti-inflammatory pharmacological drugs, painkillers, and injections of vitamins, mainly B-group, are used. In some cases, if the process is particularly severe, antibiotics are prescribed. The use of physiotherapy methods is not excluded.

Physiotherapy procedures, which are prescribed on an individual basis, are very effective for osteochondrosis and the resulting lumbago in the head area. This can be electrotherapy, ultra-high frequency or magnetic therapy.

In addition to these procedures, massage, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercises are prescribed.

At the first manifestations of cranialgia, you should immediately seek professional medical advice and help. If the pathology takes on an advanced, chronic format, then it will be much more difficult to get rid of it. A progressive disease can even lead to disability over time.

Only by determining the cause of a sharp shooting pain in the head, undergoing an appropriate examination, and then treatment prescribed by a doctor, can serious complications be avoided.

Because shooting pain in the head may have various reasons, only a neurologist can prescribe a therapeutic regimen for such a symptom. In order to make an accurate diagnosis, he needs to undergo a series of examinations. It is often impossible to establish the exact cause of lumbago in the head without a computed tomography scan of the brain. And this takes some time.

Of course, before the pathology causing the shooting impulses is eliminated, the patient needs to be provided with temporary help that will alleviate his condition. The following measures can reduce the intensity of pain:

Acupressure. For short-term lumbago can be used biologically active points as a natural mechanism for relieving spasms.
Warm dry compress or warming ointment. Heat exposure will also help relieve spasms. However, in no case should you use a warm compress if there is any inflammatory process, so only a doctor can prescribe such a procedure.
Sometimes a damp towel wrapped around the head helps with a severe headache.
Taking painkillers. Aspirin, analgin, baralgin, spasmalgon, etc. help relieve shooting pain.

A sharp, shooting pain in the head on the left or right can occur with neoplasms that can only be eliminated surgically. Surgical treatment It is also indicated for some forms of osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernia.

In other cases, depending on the specific cause of lumbago in the head, the main treatment may consist of the following:

Physiotherapy. In the treatment program for lumbago caused by various problems in the spine, physiotherapy plays a very important role. important role. It helps reduce pain, eliminate inflammation, relieve spasms, and accelerate tissue restoration. Procedures used to treat shooting pains in the head include electrophoresis, UHF, laser therapy, magnetic therapy, iontophoresis, etc.
Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which include Nimesil, Diclofenac, Indomethacin, etc. These drugs are prescribed when the cause of pain is an inflammatory process.
Taking antibiotics. If there is a suspicion of otitis or other inflammatory disease, the neurologist sends the patient with cranialgia to an ENT specialist. If shooting pain in the head is the result of an inflammatory process in the organs of perception - in the ear, nose, tongue, eyes, antibiotics are necessarily prescribed to eliminate it: Amoxicillin, Ampiox, cephalosporin drugs, etc.
Taking neuroprotective and nootropic drugs. These include Piracetam, Actovegin, etc. Medicines of these groups are prescribed for lumbago, the causes of which are various neuralgia, neuritis, and muscle spasms. In addition to them, in such cases, shooting pain is treated with tranquilizers (Phenozepam, Tozepam, etc.).
Taking B vitamins, as they have a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and brain function.
Therapeutic baths and water massage. Warm water relaxes and improves blood circulation, so water procedures help get rid of lumbago of almost any etiology, except for pain caused by inflammation.
Physiotherapy. Doctors turn to this method of treating shooting pain in the head when a patient is diagnosed with spinal diseases.

The sooner treatment for pain in the head, expressed by lumbago, is started, the easier it will be and the faster it will bring results. At the initial stage, cranialgia can be cured at home, but a regimen must be prescribed by a neurologist. Rest is recommended for a person suffering from severe headaches. In order not to provoke the appearance of lumbago, he needs to avoid all kinds of irritants in the form of bright light and loud sounds, as well as stuffy rooms. It is very important to protect yourself from drafts.

While on home treatment illness that causes sharp, shooting pain in the head, it is also recommended to contact auxiliary therapeutic methods. For example, when pain occurs, you can use aromatherapy with relaxing oils of orange, neroli, basil, lavender, eucalyptus, rose, etc.

For chronic lumbago in the head, you should try to observe the pain in order to discover the causes of its occurrence.

Therefore, people prone to cranialgia should avoid any shocks. Since it is impossible to completely insure against them, you must try to be prepared for them: periodically take sedatives and vitamin complexes containing B vitamins and magnesium, maintain immunity, dress for the weather.

Traditional methods

Often cope with the reasons that provoke the appearance of shooting headaches, traditional medicine unable to cope. In such cases, homeopathy can help you.

First of all, it should be noted that any homeopathic remedy is prescribed depending on the patient’s constitution. To prescribe medications that are right for you, you need to consult a specialist.

Homeopathic remedies used for osteochondrosis

Rus toxicodendron(Rhus toxicodendron) will help people who live and work in cold, damp areas with headaches that are relieved by turning the head, but soon return.
Bryonia Alba is suitable for patients with immobilizing pain, which intensifies with the slightest turn of the head (for pain on the left).
Lycopodium is a drug that normalizes the activity of the spinal column. Effective when right-sided pain.

Homeopathic remedies used for diseases of the ENT organs

Rhinital is a drug of medicinal origin, which includes Luffa laxative, Triallis glaucoma, Cardiospermum halicakaba. It will help people with headaches associated with inflammatory diseases of the nose and sinuses.
Cinnabsin. It contains: Cinnabar (mercury sulfide) – treats neuralgia of the facial and trigeminal nerves, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses); Potassium dichromate and golden root extract will help people with chronic sinusitis; Echinacea extract – supports the overall level of immunity).

Homeopathic remedies used for neuritis

Agaricus will help people with ice needle or nail pain.
Cedron can be recommended for easily excitable people with frequent relapses of neuritis.
Kalmia latifolia(Kalmia latifolia) is prescribed for neuritis and neuralgia in combination with general weakness and constant chills.
Magnesium phosphoricum(Magnesium phosphoricum) is recommended for patients with magnesium deficiency, which manifests itself hypersensitivity to external irritants, fatigue, sleep problems (effective for right-sided pain).
Spigelia antihelminthic(Spigelia Anthelmia) is most effective for shooting pains on the left side.
Common mullein(Verbascum thapsus) is used for deafening shooting pains in the right temple, aggravated by movement.

Drug therapy

If the doctor has determined that the cause of the shooting in the head is neuralgia, then, in addition to the procedures, a number of medications will be prescribed. Common medications in such cases include anticonvulsants and painkillers. For example, if a patient complains that he often has shooting in his head, then he may be prescribed drugs such as Ketanov, Indomethacin, and Dexalgin.

Vitamins belonging to group B help enhance the effect of therapy. Thus, patients can be prescribed the following drugs: Neurobex, Cyanocobalamin, Thiamine, Milgama, Pyridoxine.

Drug therapy

Pharmaceuticals are used in almost all situations where headaches occur. They are prescribed in the same way as they are taken according to the doctor’s recommendations. In this case, and, in general, under no circumstances should you engage in independent selection of medications if you have health problems.

Such an attitude can only worsen the patient's condition. For example, in case of severe pain, the doctor may prescribe local anesthetics to the patient. For chronic symptoms, Baclofen, Gabapentin or Carbamazepine.

First aid

Remember that a specific list of therapeutic measures must be prescribed by the attending physician. But there are several basic principles that will help relieve shooting pain:

Use dry heat. An excellent option would be table salt. It must be poured into a small bag made of cotton fabric and heated in a frying pan. The warm bag should be applied to the area of the head where the pain is felt especially strongly. You can also use a hard-boiled chicken egg as such a compress.
Complete peace. During such an attack, you need to lie down in silence. In this case, it is best if there is a constant flow of fresh air in the room. Try to eliminate all harsh sounds and smells. Try to talk as little as possible.

You can supplement the therapy prescribed by your doctor with the help of prescriptions. traditional medicine. Particularly effective are:

Take a leaf of indoor geranium. Rinse it thoroughly in warm running water and lightly knead it with your fingers. Such a sheet should be applied to the place of the lumbago.
Pour twenty grams of dried black elderberry flowers into a liter of boiling water. Infuse the resulting mixture for an hour. This amount will last for two days. You can drink it with the addition of natural honey.
Pour a tablespoon of dried peppermint with water and put on fire. Boil it for fifteen minutes. After this, remove from heat, cool slightly and strain. This decoction should be taken morning and evening.
Pour a tablespoon of dried and crushed willow bark into a glass of boiling water. Simmer this mixture over low heat for fifteen minutes. Strain the decoction prepared in this way and take one tablespoon four times a day.

After undergoing a full medical examination and finding out the real reason If you experience shooting pain in your head, you can undergo treatment and get rid of this problem. This is the only way you can be sure that no serious complications will arise.

Preventive measures

It is quite possible to prevent the appearance of unpleasant and rather painful lumbago that occurs in the head area by following basic recommendations. To do this, first of all, at the first manifestation, you need to seek professional advice from a medical institution and undergo an appropriate examination. Since pain occurs for various reasons, once you have identified them, you should undergo proper treatment.

A healthy lifestyle without bad habits, moderate exercise, possibly special gymnastics, walking on fresh air, rational mode nutrition. Don't ignore and complete rest, and sufficient duration of sleep.

Very effective in preventing lumbago in the head are massage, water procedures, in particular, a relaxing bath using aromatic oils, and a contrast shower.

Shooting pain in the head occurs with diseases that cannot be predicted. In such cases, the following measures serve as prevention:

healthy lifestyle;
regular training;
stopping excessive wakefulness;
normal sleep pattern;
compliance with safety rules when engaging in extreme sports, repairs and other activities in which there is a risk of injury;
Regularly undergoing a complete medical examination once a year will help prevent the occurrence of diseases, the symptom of which is shooting cranialgia.

To prevent the occurrence of shooting headaches, it is necessary to eliminate, or, if this is not possible, control the underlying disease.

In cases where the pain is caused by acute inflammatory disease the nerve itself, or the organs adjacent to it, prevention consists of timely detection and treatment of this disease.

Once the root cause is eliminated, the pain will subside.

To prevent the occurrence of shooting pains in the head, one can also include general strengthening measures: a healthy lifestyle, sports, recreational gymnastics and vitamin therapy.

But the most important factor in prevention is timely seeking help. The longer you delay visiting a doctor, the longer it will take to be treated.

Headache, in its various manifestations, is familiar to everyone. Among the abundance of its variants, single shooting pains caused by neurogenic destructive processes are especially frequent.

How critical is the condition when there is a shooting in the head on the right side or on the left and why does such a pain syndrome appear?

Shooting pain in the head, known in medicine as acute cranialgia, is a paroxysmal pain that occurs suddenly due to pathological nerve impulses. It is not an independent illness, but only a manifestation of other diseases that cause sudden severe attacks of headache.

Repeated sharp pain in the right or left side of the head can become chronic if they are not diagnosed in time and measures are not taken to neutralize the cause of their occurrence. The depth of painful sensitivity depends on which nerve was affected. Occipital neuralgia is characterized by superficial pain; for inflammation of the vestibulocochlear nerve associated with inner ear, a typical pain impulse is localized deep in the skull.

Shooting pain in the head is characterized by the following symptomatic manifestations:

paroxysmal in nature, the duration of the attack is up to 10 hours, in some cases the shooting headache is permanent;
acute pain syndrome high intensity, aggravated by moving the head or eyes;
taking painkillers does not work;
painful lumbago occurs more often in the temporo-occipital part of the head; may radiate to the cervical area;
there are trigger points, the impact of which leads to the appearance of new attacks lasting several seconds;
the lumbago is accompanied accompanying symptoms– nausea, vomiting without relief, pressure surge, slight increase in temperature – up to 37.5°;
additional accompanying manifestations - sharp pain in the area of the neck and ears, numbness of the limbs, the appearance of a swaying gait, problems with the hearing organs, increased irritability.

Causes

The root cause of shooting pains is a violation of the conduction of nerve impulses and the occurrence of pathological impulses along the fibers of a particular nerve. A painful attack develops against the background of destruction of the spinal nerve roots, pathology of the cervical spine, and neuralgia of the cranial nerves.

The feeling as if there is a shooting in the back of the head, in most cases, is generated by compression of the spinal nerve endings as a result of the formation of:

disc protrusion;
osteochondrosis manifestations;
cervical spondylosis, etc.

The manifestation of cranialgic pain syndrome is familiar to anyone who has had a “beat in the back of the head” due to the presence of an intervertebral hernia.

Purulent processes that develop as a result of infection of the nasopharynx are often the cause of the development of cranialgia in children. A sensation as if the ear is shooting is characteristic of a sinus infection.

One of the symptoms acute otitis there is a sensation that shoots in the ear and radiates to the head. In parallel, the pain syndrome is accompanied by a temperature jump and the appearance of discharge from the ear.

A certain part of the head may hurt due to a bad tooth or eye located on its side.

Unilateral shooting headache develops when nerve fibers are compressed, caused by:

trigeminal neuritis;
post-traumatic neuralgia;
polyneuropathy of the nerve roots.

The attack lasts from a couple of seconds to several minutes and is localized at the site of nerve damage.

The development of Sicard's syndrome is indicated by a pain impulse that originates in the area of the angle of the lower jaw, intensifies when swallowing or talking, and radiates to the ear.

In Slader's syndrome, the pain impulse is usually localized in the pterygopalatine ganglion, but in rare cases pain may occur behind the ear, in the temporal or occipital region.

Jerking pain in the ear, accompanied by a blistering rash in the area of the ear canal, indicates the development of a rare disease caused by damage to the intermediate nerve by herpes. This pathology, known as Hunt's syndrome, is also characterized by the development of facial neuritis, paresis or paralysis of the facial muscles on one side and the appearance of a painful rash in the mouth.

Localization Features

Shooting cranialgia always affects only one side and, at first glance, appears for no reason. Meanwhile, such manifestations can be an unpleasant signal indicating the development of various diseases.

In the parietal zone, a tugging pain appears rapidly. If you press on the trigger point, the lumbago radiates to the center of the head. This reaction is explained by the accumulation of nerve endings on the crown of the head.
In the occipital part, pain attacks intensify with sharp bends and turns of the head. As a consequence of damage to the nerve roots, shooting pain in the back of the head occurs during hypothermia or under the influence of drafts. In this case, cranialgic manifestations can be localized both in the back of the head on the right or left, and also involve the cervical and shoulder sections, radiate into the ear. Shoots in the back of the head often appear due to injury to this area.
Process Development inflammatory in nature in the ears is the reason that it “tugs” not only the ears, but also the entire temporo-occipital area. The impression that there is a shooting behind the ear can also arise as a result of inflammation of the regional lymph nodes.
If it shoots in the head on the left side or on the right side of the head, this may indicate the development of trigeminal neuralgia as a result of infection or chronic illnesses localized in the facial area. The right side in the temporal zone is more susceptible to pain. The root cause of the unnatural condition may be cervical osteochondrosis or vasculitis of the temporal artery. Painful attacks lead to insomnia, nervousness and depression.
In the frontal part, sharp pain occurs instantly, most often above the right eyebrow, its root cause is neuritis of the facial (VII cranial) nerve, trigeminal neuralgia.
The reason for frequent headaches in the facial area may be osteomyelitis (purulent-necrotic inflammation) of the jaw or arthritic changes in the temporomandibular joint.

Diagnostics and therapy

Shooting cranialgia is a complex illness that requires compulsory treatment the reasons that caused it. You should undergo an examination by a neurologist and other specialists, which will allow you to diagnose the causes and prescribe treatment based on the results of the examination. It is dangerous to treat shooting pains on your own, as this can lead to worsening of the condition and progression of the disease.

The choice of how to treat the disease depends on the cause of the pain and its intensity. Since the most common source of cranialgia is osteochondrosis, you need to be examined to identify degenerative changes in the spine. If he shoots in the head due to cervical osteochondrosis, will help relieve pain through a comprehensive intake of medications that have an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxing effect (NSAIDs, muscle relaxants). Will complement healing process massage course, manual therapy, exercise therapy, physiotherapy (UHF or iontophoresis, magnetic therapy or electric shock that relieves painful attacks).

In the presence of inflammatory processes Special attention should be given to the ears. Infections that affect them often cause lumbago in the head.

Prevention of cranialgia and home care

Shooting pains in the head will appear weaker and recur less often, or even stop altogether, if you take preventive measures in the form of general strengthening and vitamin therapy.

These measures involve a course of taking B vitamins, which strengthen the nervous system, and a complex of physical therapy aimed at combating osteochondrosis.

It will be useful to undergo sanatorium treatment at a balneological resort.

To prevent the symptoms of neuralgia from causing pain in the temples or the back of the head, it is also important to avoid drafts, hypothermia of the neck and prolonged stay in one position.

What to do at home if you have a shooting in the head:

Applying a warm compress can relieve a lumbago in the head caused by neuralgia in the cervical and parotid region. Warming compresses are contraindicated in the presence of inflammatory processes. Therefore, before resorting to this method, it is better to consult with your doctor.
Injections of analgesics are effective in cases of moderate initial symptoms.
Intense manifestation of pain syndrome, which radiates to the head, requires taking anti-inflammatory drugs in tablet form and applying anti-inflammatory ointments to the pulsating areas, followed by wrapping with a warming bandage.
Acupressure of the back of the head or temples using aromatic oils will cope with painful attacks of moderate severity.

A systematic headache that shoots into the neck or back of the head is a good reason for immediately seeking medical help. Timely diagnosis of the root causes increases the likelihood of cure. Completely getting rid of pain symptoms will allow completing a full course of therapy at the stage of its early manifestation.