Headache Red Flags
While headaches often result in pain and disability, ruling out more serious pathology is an important part of a physical therapy examination. Physical therapists use a comprehensive history, patient reports and measurements within the clinic to determine pain and disability to develop a plan of care to address these impairments. Certain symptoms experienced by patients may require follow up by a medical doctor.
Further evaluation by medical professional include any from the following list:
- Worsening headache with fever
- Sudden-onset headache reaching maximum intensity within 5 minutes
- New-onset neurological deficit
- Change in personality
- Impaired level of consciousness
- Recent head trauma (within the past 3 months)
- Headache triggered by cough, sneeze of valsalva (trying to breathe out the nose and mouth blocked)
- Headache triggered by exercise
- Orthostatic headache (headache that changes with posture)
- Symptoms suggestive of giant cell arteritis (inflammation of the arterial walls)
- Symptoms of acute narrow angle glaucoma (eye condition that results in blockage of fluid drainage from the eye)
- A substantial change in headache characteristics