Having pain or tenderness in the scalp is different to having a headache. Scalp pain is felt at the surface of the skin covering the skull and tends to be sharp, stabbing or prickly, with a tingling sensation rather than the deep throbbing pain of a headache. It is rarely associated with other headache symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or sound.
Scalp pain has several possible causes but is one of those health problems that sometimes proves impossible to diagnose, suggesting it may also have a stress component.
Trigeminal Neuralgia as a Possible Cause of Scalp Pain
Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful condition that is caused by inflammation or pressure around part of the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the scalp, forehead and face. The nerve has three different branches, and the point at which it is affected determines where the worst of the pain is felt. If the ophthalmic branch of the nerve is affected, the sharp, stabbing pain that the neuralgia brings on is felt predominantly in the scalp and around the eyes and along the forehead, producing intense scalp pain and the symptoms of a tension headache.
Trigeminal neuralgia can become a chronic condition but it tends to occur in bouts, with attacks sometimes daily for months, lasting anywhere between a couple of minutes and several hours. Then, for no apparent reason, the attacks can stop and the person affected can be pain free for months, only for symptoms to return later without warning.
Skin Conditions and Scalp Pain
Various skin conditions can affect the scalp and are much more difficult to treat because the affected skin is hidden under the hair. Eczema and psoriasis commonly affect the scalp and although these are not pain-causing, they do cause intense itching. As treatment is so difficult due to the inaccessibility of the sore skin, both these conditions can cause continual scratching of the skin. This can happen at night while you are asleep, so self-control doesn’t really operate. Sometimes it is possible to scratch so much that the skin is broken and becomes inflamed, bleeds and may become infected by either fungi or bacteria. This secondary infection and self-inflicted tissue damage can cause chronic scalp pain.
Fibromyalgia and Scalp Pain
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that is responsible for many different symptoms, including widespread pain. Many sites of the body are affected but pain in the scalp and head is commonly experienced. Someone with fibromyalgia also feels extremely tired, suffers sleep disturbances, depression and changes in body habits – frequent urination and irritable bowel symptoms – for example. The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not really well understood but it may be an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland, causing it to become under active. This explains some of the symptoms but others may be due to further effects of the autoimmune response.
Scalp Pain Without a Cause
If scalp pain, or sensations in the scalp such as tingling, feelings of cold or heat, or a type of wriggling feeling occur without other symptoms, it may be that this is due to stress or anxiety. It is a symptom that is reported by a lot of people and it clearly worries them. Thinking that the sensations in the scalp are due to something more serious makes the problem worse. If the above conditions are obviously not present, however, scalp pain and odd feelings in the scalp are unlikely to be a sign that anything is seriously wrong. It may be a good idea to speak to your doctor about it, so that they can set your mind at rest, and then ask about stress management strategies or relaxation therapies.
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