Key Takeaways A headache behind the eyes can be caused by migraine, sinusitis, tension headache, cluster headache, eye strain, dehydration, illness or medication overuse. Pain behind the eyes with nausea, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity or one-sided throbbing pain may point towards migraine. A headache behind the eyes and forehead with a blocked nose, thick nasal discharge, facial pressure or reduced sense of smell may be linked to sinusitis. A severe headache behind one eye with restlessness, tearing, a blocked nostril, or a drooping eyelid can suggest a cluster headache and should be assessed. Seek urgent help if a headache is sudden and extremely painful, accompanied by vision loss, weakness, numbness, confusion, a seizure, a stiff neck, a rash, or difficulty speaking. Healthwords offers headache and migraine treatment resources, including guidance on pain relief, migraine treatments and sumatriptan. A headache behind the eyes can feel like pressure, a throbbing, aching, or stabbing pain, or a tight sensation around the eye sockets and forehead. Some people describe it as pain behind the eyes, while others notice a headache behind one eye or behind both eyes and across the forehead at the same time. The reassuring news is that most headaches are not serious and can often be managed with rest, fluids and suitable pain relief. However, headaches behind the eyes can sometimes be linked to migraine, sinusitis, cluster headaches, potential eye problems, or a more urgent medical issue or infection. Therefore, it is always advised that you get medically assessed if you are suffering from severe pain or chronic, recurring headaches. When being assessed by healthword.ai, the pattern of the pain, how quickly it started, and any other symptoms are just some of the factors that will be taken into account. Every case is handled individually, and advice and care are tailored to your needs. This guide explains common causes of headaches behind the eyes, how migraines can differ from sinus headaches, what may help, and when to seek medical advice. What Does a Headache Behind The Eyes Mean? A headache behind the eyes is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The pain may feel as though it is coming from the eyes, but it can also come from nearby parts of the facial region or head, such as the sinuses, nerves, scalp muscles, or blood vessels. Common patterns include: Pressure around both eyes and the forehead. Throbbing pain behind one eye. A tight band-like ache across the forehead. Sharp or stabbing pain around one eye. Pain that worsens with movement, light or screens. Pain with nasal congestion, blocked sinuses or facial tenderness. Pain with vision changes, eye redness or nausea. Official NHS guidance lists common headache causes as: stress, alcohol, bad posture, eyesight problems, dehydration, missed meals, taking too many painkillers, and periods and menopause. The guidance also notes that severe headaches can sometimes be caused by migraine or cluster headaches. Headache Behind Eyes and Forehead: Common Patterns A headache behind the eyes and forehead is often described as a pressure-type pain. It may be linked to sinus congestion, a tension headache, eye strain, migraine or be an indication of general illness. Sinusitis Sinusitis is one possible cause, especially if the pain sits around the cheeks, eyes and forehead. Sinusitis can cause a blocked nose, green or yellow nasal discharge, pain and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes or forehead, fever, toothache, reduced sense of smell and bad breath. Migraines Migraines can also cause pain around or behind the eye. Migraine attacks can cause a severe throbbing headache, often on one side, and may come with nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Some people also get aura symptoms, including visual changes, tingling, dizziness or difficulty speaking. Distinguishing between the two conditions A useful clue is what comes with the pain.  Blocked nose and thick discharge may point more towards sinusitis. Whereas, light sensitivity, nausea and throbbing pain may point more towards migraine.  Sudden severe pain, eye redness, new vision changes or neurological symptoms should be treated more urgently. If ever seriously in doubt, call or get someone to call 111 on your behalf.

Wrist pain is common, and there are many different causes. If you have had some sort of trauma like a high-impact injury such as a fall there may be the possibility of a broken bone. If you have not had any trauma, there are many different causes such as skin problems, joint problems like arthritis or gout, muscle and tendon problems like repetitive strain injury, along with many more. If you have severe pain, or pain that is not settling with some simple pain relief then you may need to seek advice from your doctor.

Waking up with shoulder pain in the morning is never an ideal way to start the day. It can make your morning activities all the more difficult before you've even left the house for the day. Brushing your teeth, getting dressed, and washing your hair can all feel much harder than they need to. If you can relate to this, you might be wondering what's going on, and what action you need to take. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to relieve and prevent shoulder pain in the morning. In this article, we'll take a look into the possible reasons for your morning shoulder pain, and what you can do to alleviate it.

Toe pain is common, and there are many different causes. If you have had some sort of trauma like kicking something hard or dropping something on your toe there may be the possibility of a fracture or broken bone. If you have not had any trauma, you may have a skin problem, such as blisters or ulcers, joint problems like arthritis or gout, and many more. If you have severe pain, or pain that is not settling with some mild pain relief, then you may need to seek advice from your doctor.

Upper back pain occurs in the area called the thoracic region of the body, which goes from the back of the neck down to the start of the lower spine at the level of the waist, known as the lumbar spine. It is typically felt in the mid-back between the shoulder blades and the neck. Pain here can vary in intensity, severity, and character. The area of your upper and mid back is known as the thoracic spines, and consists of 12 small bones called vertebrae that help to make up your backbone. Between each vertebra is a small disc of firm jelly-like material that helps to stop the backbones rubbing together as well as cushioning and protecting the back. Each thoracic vertebra is connected to a pair of ribs that run round to the front of your chest, forming your rib cage. There are also lots of muscles and ligaments in your upper back as well as your backbones and discs, so upper back pain can develop as a result of problems with any of these. For most people, pain in the upper back is less common than pain in the neck or lower back. This is because the bones in these areas tend to move more and be more flexible than the bones in the upper back, as the thoracic bones and rib cage help to keep your upper body strong and stable. Upper back pain can feel different to different people, and depends on the underlying cause. For many people, it feels like a burning or pulling discomfort in one particular area that can feel worse on moving or stretching. For others though it may feel like a deep burning pain, pain that travels from the back and round to the side or front of the body, or a tingling type of pain that can also cause numbness or weakness. In this article we look at some of the most common causes of upper back pain and how they can be treated.

Shoulder pain is one of the most common and debilitating joint problems, especially as we get older. As GPs, more than a quarter of our consultations are musculoskeletal problems, so we’re used to managing this. But we’re always on alert for the rare occasion that something is seriously wrong, and we need to get a patient the right help with speed. Along with GPs, many surgeries offer a first-contact physiotherapy service to triage your problem and manage it – you may even be able to refer yourself without speaking to your GP. It’s a great service but you may have a few weeks’ wait. In this article we’ll go through some of the more serious symptoms relating to shoulder pain, and when you should be urgently seeking help from your GP (or Emergency Department in some circumstances), rather than waiting for a routine appointment or physio assessment.

Sitting in front of a computer screen for hours each day isn’t the best for your health yet for many of us, it’s unavoidable due to our jobs. Whether you're working in an office or working remotely, you’re likely in front of a computer screen for close to 8 hours which can lead to all sorts of aches and pains. Work-related shoulder pain is affecting people more and more frequently today and one of the most common ailments is shoulder pain from using a mouse, known as mouse shoulder. In this article, we’ll cover the symptoms of mouse shoulder, what can cause it, ways to treat this type of joint pain and how you can prevent it from happening. What is mouse shoulder? A common issue that people get from using a computer mouse for an extended period with poor posture or lack of support is mouse shoulder. It’s a form of a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) which is due to overusing muscles or straining them by doing the same actions. Mouse shoulder often feels like a deep aching or burning sensation in your shoulder and neck on the side you have been using a mouse. Carpal tunnel syndrome is another ailment brought on by your mouse, causing pain in your wrist and hand.

Shooting pains tend to describe nerve-associated pain. One of the common causes of shooting pains down the back of the legs is sciatica. Sciatica is a broad term used to describe symptoms caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve or its contributing nerve branches. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve present at the back of the leg, passing from the lower back to the foot. It is responsible for controlling the muscles at the back of the thigh, all muscles below the knee and it provides sensation to the skin of most of the leg. Sciatica is characterised by a sensation of pain, tingling, or burning passing along the course of the nerve, extending from the lower back down into the leg. The specific location of the pain or altered sensation is dependent upon the nerves that are irritated or compressed. Sciatica is often associated with low back pain. The most common cause of sciatica is from a prolapsed intervertebral disc. Here a part of the fluid-filled centre of the intervertebral discs (the discs which separate each of the spinal column bones) is allowed to leak out through a tear in the outer disc layer. This prolapse, or disc bulge, causes direct compression or irritation of a nerve, which subsequently causes the symptoms of sciatica.

Your shin is the area over the tibia bone. This is the area between the knee and the ankle at the front of the leg. Shin pain is caused by inflammation of the muscles, tendons, or bone over the shin area.

Our ankle joints are complex joints joining each of our legs to our feet and are made up of ligaments, muscle, nerves, cartilage and blood vessels. They move each time we move our feet or legs and they allow our ankles to move in two directions - up (known as dorsiflexion) and down (called plantar flexion). The ankle joint carries our weight and so can be under stress a lot of the time, which can sometimes cause discomfort or pain. If you have pain at the back of your ankle, called posterior ankle pain, this can be very painful and interfere with normal activities such as walking, running, jumping or stretching. We know how frustrating this can be for you so in this article we look at the common causes and symptoms of posterior ankle pain. We’ll also give you advice on how to treat it - both medically and with self-care - how to prevent it, and what to do if you suffer from chronic pain in this part of your body. If you want to know how to get rid of that pain you’ve had for ages in the back of your ankle, read on! What are the causes of pain in the posterior ankle? There are a number of possible causes of posterior ankle pain and so you may need an opinion from a healthcare professional to get an accurate diagnosis if your symptoms do not settle with self care treatments. The usual causes of this pain are posterior ankle impingement, Sever’s disease, heel spurs, and inflammation or rupture of the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel. Posterior ankle impingement. Sometimes known as posterior ankle impingement syndrome (PAIS), this usually occurs when a muscle, ligament or bone pinches the back of the foot and is common in sportsmen and women who move their feet repetitively in a certain way, causing their feet to point down repeatedly - such as in football players, ballet dancers and trail runners for example. Sever’s disease is heel pain that occurs when the Achilles tendon is too tight and puts too much pressure on the soft cartilage at the end of the heel bone, known as the growth plate. It is common in children between the ages of 8 and 14 years who do lots of running or jumping and who are going through a growth spurt. Fortunately this doesn’t cause any long-term damage and usually goes away as the child gets older. Heel spurs are bony growths that stick out from the bottom of your heel, where your heel bone connects to the ligament running between your heel and the ball of your foot. They usually develop over time and are quite common. Inflammation of the achilles tendon at the back of your heel (Achilles tendinopathy) causes pain, swelling and stiffness of that area and is thought to be caused by repeated tiny injuries to the Achilles tendon. It is common in runners and people who play a lot of sports or in people who exercise regularly in the wrong kind of footwear. If the Achilles tendon tears by more than 50% or snaps completely it is said to be ruptured and this is usually obvious at the time this happens, causing very characteristic symptoms. If you are not sure if you have ruptured your Achillies we have an artice on Achillies tendon rupture which may help you.

Pelvic pain occurs in the lower abdomen and pelvis. The pain can originate from organs close by, such as any of the reproductive organs, the digestive or urinary systems, or from the surrounding muscles and ligaments. It predominantly affects women, and may be acute, lasting a short time such as in period cramps or a urinary tract infection, or persisting as a chronic condition. Chronic pelvic pain is defined as intermittent or continuous pelvic pain that lasts for longer than 6 months and affects around 1 in 6 women.

We’ve all experienced physical pain in our lives – a cut finger, a stubbed toe, an ankle sprain, headache, sore throat, or even perhaps after an operation. We can understand that it varies from mild to severe, and can last briefly or a few days. Pain serves a purpose – if you break a bone in your leg, you avoid standing on it and rest up until the fracture heals. We also have a psychological response to pain, and it can really help to reassure us (and therefore reduce its impact or intensity) if we can understand the cause of the pain. Let’s consider the broad causes of pain and then hopefully we can tailor solutions to get ourselves better.