sharp pain at the back of head

[sarahlouj]

I am a 25 year old female that sufers from cronic sharp pains concentrated on the back left side of of my head. Its almost like a pounding of hamering that occurs for awhile. the pain is sometime so intens i hav to stop and grab my head in agony. i've that these pains since i was a little girl with no reall idea when it started exaclty. last night was the first i had these pains for such a long time. it keep coming and going. i need help to know what is causeing this and could it be life threating. after each episode the area does feel slightly tender. help me please i'm scrared

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi There,

Thanks for writing back.

Yes scoliosis can cause spondylogenic headaches. These pains usually occur on one side and may go as far as the temples. These headaches are often confused with migraines as they occur on one side as well like migraine headaches.

[sarahlouj]

Hey Doc,

Thanks for responding. You mentioned spine diseases, so i thought i should mention i have scolliossis. Could that be the cause.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi There,

There are a number of possibilities here. One of them is migraines which cause severe pounding headaches on one side of the head.

It is also important to rule out cervical spine diseases like cervical spondylosis, disc prolapse and disc herniation.

I would suggest you to get a complete clinical exam done including tests like CT scan and MRI of head and neck.
In the meantime you can take OTC pain killers for relief.