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Often the headache spreads to almost the entire skull, but sometimes the left temple of the head hurts and that’s it. In this case, a person may become confused, since he cannot even imagine what it means. Naturally, then the patient prefers to simply take the pill. However, not all so simple. The causes of pathology are different. In addition, the pain can radiate to the eye, and the person feels like there is a shooting in his ear. Moreover, he is in this state almost constantly.
In order to solve the problem, you must definitely consult a doctor. He will help identify the causes of pain in the left temple area, and also prescribe adequate treatment. It will not be possible to eliminate the pathology with analgesics alone.
Features of the pathology
Pain in the left temple is a problem for which you need to consult a neurologist. Such pain syndromes may recur infrequently or be chronic. Moreover, the pain spreads not only in the temporal part of the head, but also radiates to the eye and ear. The presented pathological condition recurs periodically in almost 60% of the population of our planet.
The problem is that not every person with such symptoms seeks medical help, which can lead to the development of diseases that are difficult to treat. In addition, serious complications can result from improper treatment of the disease.
Therefore, if a person has severe acute pain in the left temple area, then he should contact a neurologist and undergo a thorough examination.
How to treat soreness in the temple and eye
The treatment regimen for pain in the temple and eyes depends on what causes it.
In the case when the symptoms in question arose due to the fault of a pathological process, the person must undergo a full examination of the body, and only after that doctors will be able to prescribe treatment.
In order to relieve attacks of pain, doctors use certain drugs and techniques. We should consider them in more detail:
- Painkillers: Nise, Tempalgin, Ibuprofen. Here it is necessary to clarify that frequent use of analgesics can adversely affect human health and provoke chronicity of the disease.
- Performing therapeutic massage. The patient is recommended to periodically massage the temporal area with light circular movements in a quiet environment and a darkened room. During the massage you are allowed to use essential oils, and after the therapy session you can lie down and lie down for a while.
- Applying a cold compress to your temples. But it is worth remembering that such actions are prohibited if there is a history of trigeminal neuralgia.
- If there is severe pain in the head area, then you should find out the reasons for this phenomenon. If it is not possible to do this right away, then experts recommend lying down, closing your eyes and moving your eyeballs for several minutes.
If you do not ignore the alarming symptoms, seek medical help in a timely manner and follow all the doctor’s recommendations, then questions as to why the headache in the temple area will not arise.
Which doctor should I contact?
If there are no other manifestations other than temporal pain, consult a neurologist or therapist.
First, contact your general practitioner, who will refer you to another doctor if necessary.
Pain combined with vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are signs of poisoning. In this case, call an ambulance. Emergency medical care is also required if a stroke or high intracranial pressure is suspected.
When cephalalgia is accompanied by pressure changes, pain in the heart, sensitivity to weather changes, or memory problems, visit a cardiologist.
If pain occurs when chewing while clenching the jaw, and intensifies in the temple area, make an appointment with the dentist.
If you have difficulties in choosing a specialist, you can always contact a therapist, who will collect anamnesis and redirect to the right doctor.
Why does the left temple of my head hurt?
There are many reasons that can cause discomfort in the temporal part of the head. Determining them as accurately as possible will allow you to deal with the problem faster and more effectively.
The following causes of headache in the left temple can be identified:
- Migraine. It is characterized by the presence of cluster pain. In this case, the pain spreads only to one half of the head. Not only the left temple can become the place of their localization. Unpleasant sensations can radiate to the left eye and ear. In addition to pain, a person also has other symptoms: fear of light, loud sounds, nausea, vomiting, dizziness.
- Increased intracranial pressure. The pain seems to press or burst into the skull. At the same time, it is accompanied by nausea and the presence of “ripples” before the eyes. A person may feel muscle weakness on one side of the body. The pain may intensify throughout the night.
- Pathologies of blood vessels. If the heart is not working well enough or is too active, the patient may experience excessively high or low blood pressure. At the same time, pain appears in the left temple. The pain is sharp, pulsations are felt in the head, or dull and aching. Sometimes a person faints.
Neurologist and immunologist Kirill Aleksandrovich Shlyapnikov will tell us more about the reasons:
We recommend reading: if you suffer from frequent headaches in the temporal region.
- Infectious pathologies or allergies. They contribute to the appearance of pressing pain, which, however, is not always dull. Unpleasant sensations appear not only in the left temple area, but also in the forehead and cheeks. If the pathological condition is accompanied by an increase in temperature, then the temporal part of the head begins to ache. Infection of the ear or eye also leads to temporal headaches. For example, it can be triggered by otitis media (ear inflammation), rhinitis, or dental disease. In this case, discomfort is felt even in the eye.
- Intoxication of the body. It can be a consequence of excessive consumption of medications, alcoholic beverages, and stale food. Even folk remedies that the body does not accept can cause pain in the left temple. The sensations are aching in nature, as if there is a shooting in the temporal region of the head. The pain radiates to the eye and ear.
- Hormonal imbalances. Headache caused by this cause is a common problem among women. It is provoked by swelling of the walls of blood vessels under the influence of prostaglandin hormones.
- Trauma or congenital pathology of the temporomandibular joint. The pain in the left temple area is frequent and very severe. It radiates not only to the ear or eye, but also to the shoulder, neck and even shoulder blade. In addition, a spasm of muscle tissue appears, as the joint is in the wrong position.
Scheme of formation of temporal arteritis
- Arteritis (inflammation of blood vessels) of the temporal part of the head. The presented pathology is not common, but is characterized by very strong pain.
- Wrong diet. The presence of a large number of additives and preservatives can also cause discomfort and pain on the left side of the head. Moreover, pain is almost always felt in the eye and even ear.
- Nervous tension, stress or other psychogenic causes. The pain syndrome is characterized by the fact that it is localized in the temporal region, causes a feeling of pressure in the skull, and radiates to the eye.
- A brain tumor. Here the patient experiences a pulsation in the temple area on the left. In addition, his hearing, memory, and vision are deteriorating. He cannot sleep properly, which worsens his psychological and emotional state.
- Reaction to weather changes.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Here pain can occur on both the left and right sides. Moreover, it is felt almost constantly, because the patient’s spinal nerve roots are pinched.
- Stroke. Cerebral hemorrhage is an extremely dangerous condition for health and life, which is characterized by a severe and burning headache, accompanied by loss of speech and numbness on one side of the body.
These are the main causes of discomfort and pain. Now you need to figure out how to get rid of them.
The main factors provoking cephalalgia
A painful and severe headache on the right side most often occurs with an illness such as migraine. Before an attack, a whole complex of sensory, visual and auditory disorders appears. That is, a person experiences lacrimation, and only on one side of the face, he begins to react painfully to sounds, smells, and becomes very irritable.
This disease is mainly characteristic of women, and in the best years of their life, from eighteen to about forty years. This is the main cause of temporary disability among the fair sex.
At the moment, the mechanism of development of pain during migraine has not yet been sufficiently studied; only the factors that cause its occurrence have been elucidated. Heredity is considered the main one. Numerous observations have shown that girls whose mothers suffer from migraines subsequently also experience the torment of this disease.
With moderate strength and clear localization in one side, this may be the result of a disease, such as a brain tumor. In this case, you need to consult a neurologist.
- Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania.
It is characterized by unilateral severe pain, which is localized in the temple or frontal lobe. The attacks are daily and have a burning and boring nature. In rare cases, it can manifest as throbbing pain and cover the entire head. The attacks are repeated and sometimes occur up to 16 times during the day. Moreover, the shorter the attacks become, the more often they appear. With such pain, the eye is affected, it turns red, the pupil narrows and does not react to light, the eyeball sinks. It is believed that such a disease is akin to migraine, but there are no reliable factors. The disease is mainly characteristic of mature women.
- Cluster headache.
Also characteristic of the right or left side of the head. It appears without the slightest warning and radiates to the eye area. Patients characterize her as unbearable and wild to such an extent that she wants to tear her eye out of its socket. This type of cephalalgia radiates only to the temporal and frontal part of one side of the head. A person’s face turns red during an attack, the eye becomes red, and the nose becomes stuffy.
The left side of the head also hurts with incipient glaucoma. With this disease, intraocular pressure increases, which can cause pain in the affected eye, and it spreads to the frontal lobe or the entire hemisphere of the affected eye. The pain with this disease is acute and dull, manifested by aching.
With it, inflammation in the sinuses is accompanied by very intense bursting pain in the frontal-orbital region. As a rule, this disease causes a dull, spreading pain that sometimes intensifies and sometimes becomes less intense.
- Pain on any side, but always one-sided.
Characteristic of inflammation of the organs of vision.
First aid when the left temple of the head hurts
Every person probably knows why self-medication should not be done. However, if it is not possible to see a doctor immediately, then you need to help yourself:
- You can use antispasmodic drugs that will help eliminate pain on the left side of the head. However, this is done if the patient knows his diagnosis accurately.
- Massage of the neck and head makes it possible to relieve pressure and pain that radiates to the eye.
- Pain in the left temple can be removed with a cold compress, lemon peels, cabbage leaves.
- If the patient experiences discomfort as a result of an excessive decrease in pressure, then simply drink a cup of coffee.
Find out what pills you can take for headaches.
Such methods of eliminating pain syndromes are good if it appears once and does not recur often. If it is felt constantly, the patient has a shooting in the ear or temple, then you need to find out as quickly as possible why such a pathological condition appeared and begin its therapy.
Types of pain syndrome
Doctors divide this pathology into 5 main categories:
- the patient's body's response to stress;
- a sharp jump in intracranial pressure;
- migraine;
- spasm of the cerebral arteries;
- inflammatory process of the soft matter of the tooth.
- trinitarian nerve neurosis;
- temporal arteritis.
The patient experiences insomnia, weakness, weakness, spasms can spread to the jaw, face, occipital region and eyes. The pain intensifies even with a slight impact on the temporal region.
- emotional shock;
- traumatic brain injury (TBI).
If you have a headache for several days, then doctors classify it as a nonspecific or psychogenic syndrome.
- cervical osteochondrosis;
- osteoarthritis.
The disease disrupts the blood circulation of the brain in the right artery, which leads to vascular pathologies and disruption of nerve endings.
To determine the causes of discomfort, you need to see a doctor and undergo an examination (general and biochemical blood tests, MRI, ECG of the brain, consultation with a neurologist).
Other causes of pain
When a person does not take care of his health, he eats a large number of foods with harmful food additives. One of the most harmful food additives is monosodium glutamate.
This is a specific substance that provokes pain in the body in different parts of the body, including the head.
Monosodium glutamate is found in processed meat products, as well as semi-finished products.
Also, the occurrence of headache discomfort may be associated with eating foods that contain nitrites.
Discomfort resulting from eating unhealthy foods is often localized in the eye and ear areas.
Psychogenic factors
Depression, nervousness, psycho-emotional stress, stress - all this provokes the appearance of uncomfortable sensations in the human body.
It’s not for nothing that people say that all diseases are caused by nerves. With an illness caused by stress, a person feels powerful pressure on the skull. There is also pulsation in the temporal zone.
The human body adapts to the external climate even in the womb. Many people are hypersensitive even to changes in weather.
Such changes lead not only to headache discomfort, radiating to the eye or temporal region. A person may experience nausea and even vomiting.
Doctors name other common reasons why a person has a headache in the temple area and the head on the left side:
- dental diseases accompanied by inflammation;
- consequences of head and jaw injuries;
- period of hormonal changes in the body (adolescence, pregnancy, menopausal changes in women);
- overwork;
- neurological diseases;
- eye pathologies;
- tumor processes in the brain.
Features of treatment of pain in the left temple
If a person feels pain in the left temple, then the following treatment may be required:
- If you have a hangover or a cold, you should use medications that relieve swelling from the blood vessels. Anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen), sorbents (activated carbon or Enterosgel) will be useful. Regular honey and Aspirin will also help.
- Infectious diseases that cause pain and shooting in the ear should be treated only after a visit to an ENT specialist. The patient may be prescribed anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs, antibiotics.
- If discomfort appears due to coldness in the muscle tissue of the neck or back, then to eliminate it you will need not only tablets, but also warming ointments: “Finalgon”, “Fastum-gel”.
Constant pain in the temples is an alarm signal, in which case you need to consult a doctor
- Migraine is best treated with specific drugs designed to combat this particular disease: triptans.
- Treatment of a brain tumor, skull injury or stroke must be complex and requires consultation with several specialists.
- Symptoms that arise due to the influence of psychogenic factors can be removed through psychotherapy and relaxation techniques.
Treatment for this condition is prescribed by a doctor, and only after diagnosis and diagnosis. Only isolated headaches can be eliminated on your own.
Treatment methods
Anti-migraine medications are also suitable for patients with cluster pain
The choice of treatment methods depends on the underlying disease, against which headache attacks occur, and the course of the disease. Taking painkillers on your own is useless and dangerous. Medicines relieve pain, but do not eliminate the cause of the pain. In addition to drug therapy, electrophoresis, acupuncture, carbon dioxide baths, circular or contrast showers are prescribed.
Main groups of drugs:
- antihypertensive, vasodilator drugs - help reduce blood pressure to normal levels;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, specific anti-migraine analgesics, antispasmodics;
- diuretics;
- if your eyes are very watery, anti-inflammatory eye drops are prescribed;
- at high temperatures, antipyretics are prescribed;
- if it hurts to swallow, sprays and lozenges with antiseptic and analgesic effects will help;
- nootropics;
- sedatives;
- If you often feel nauseous with a headache, antiemetic drugs are prescribed.
When glaucoma, brain tumors, severe vascular pathologies and advanced trigeminal neuralgia are diagnosed, surgery is prescribed.
How to relieve a headache at home
Rub a few drops of lavender oil into your temples
Minor and rare attacks of cephalalgia, when you suddenly feel ill, can be dealt with at home using folk remedies.
Effective methods:
- Aromatherapy will help with overwork. For headaches, you can use essential oils of mint, rosemary, lemon, lavender - add to an aroma lamp or apply to your temples.
- A cool compress made from cabbage or burdock leaves and grated raw potatoes. Keep for 15 minutes.
- Drink chamomile or mint tea. Pour 250 ml of boiling water 1 tsp. herbs, leave for 20 minutes. Drink warm, you can add a little honey.
- Tea can be replaced with a glass of warm water with lemon juice. The drink helps a lot if you start to feel nauseous.
To strengthen blood vessels, drink viburnum juice. Use 1 tbsp in the morning. l. a mixture of ground walnuts, lemon and honey. For 200 g of peeled nuts, take 1 lemon and 450 ml of honey.
Poisoning
When figuring out why the left temple hurts, you should analyze the last few days: how the diet changed, what drugs were taken, what harmful conditions the person was in. Perhaps soreness indicates poisoning. Intoxication often causes pain in the temple on the left and cheekbone on the same side of the head. If you have acute and strong sensations that do not go away for hours, you should consult a doctor.
An additional symptom of acute intoxication is a feeling of fullness in the head. When you touch the sore area, it feels as if a bruise has formed there. The patient feels slightly nauseous and sometimes vomits. The head is dizzy, the person feels weak. In some cases, this indicates influenza and other diseases, sometimes – to poisoning of a different nature.
What to do?
Actions will depend on the cause of the headache. If the pain is caused by psychogenic factors (stress, lack of sleep, poor diet) or neurological diseases, then you can help yourself with these simple actions:
- relax, retire to a quiet, calm environment, avoid harsh sounds;
- change body position, but do not make sudden movements;
- close your eyes and lie down;
- massage the temples, eyes and neck;
- take a walk in the fresh air;
- drink warm chamomile or mint tea;
- put a cold compress on the forehead;
- take a warm bath.
If your temples still hurt and put pressure on your eyes, then you should take a painkiller. An acute migraine attack is difficult to control with medication, so rest and calm are important. Healthy sleep and proper nutrition will help alleviate the condition.
If your head hurts due to cancer, they can only be treated with surgery or chemotherapy. Problems with the musculoskeletal system are solved with the help of massage and physical therapy. For vascular diseases, in addition to the main treatment, homeopathic medicines can be prescribed.
Pain in the temples and eyes significantly reduces performance and is psychologically depressing. There is no need to endure it, because over time it will only get worse.
Author: Oksana Belokur, doctor, especially for Okulist.pro