Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsTreatmentWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Treatment
When to See a Provider
Headachesare not uncommon after surgery. Many factors may contribute to this, such as the type of surgery, having a history of headaches,stress, and the type ofanesthesia.
This article explains why headaches occur after surgery, their symptoms and treatment, and how to prevent headaches from occurring.
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What Causes Headaches After Surgery?
The stress of surgery may trigger a headache, particularly if you’re prone tomigrainesortension headachesand get them frequently.
Headaches after surgery can also occur due to anesthesia or may be the result of another factor or complication, such as an infection or nerve damage.
Anesthesia
Headaches can occur after general, regional, or monitored anesthesia:
There are two types of regional anesthesia procedures that most commonly result in a spinal headache:
Nerve Injury
It’s possible to have a headache following any type of surgery. However, they are more common with surgeries that involve the head or face. This is because the nerves there are sensitive and can be damaged during surgery. Surgery can exacerbate an existing headache disorder or cause a post-traumatic headache.
The most common surgery types that cause headaches include:
Stress or Anxiety
The American Migraine Foundation reports thatstressis the number one trigger in people who experience migraines, accounting for 50%–70% of those who experience them.
Stress, which releases the stress hormonecortisol, may indirectly cause headaches after surgery, because having surgery is a stressful and anxiety-provoking event. Also, health conditions related to the surgery may increase stress levels.
Other Causes
These are other reasons that a headache may occur after surgery:
The symptoms you may experience with a post-operative headache depend on the type of headache you have.
The most common type of headache—and one that can occur after surgery—is called a tension headache. Symptoms of a tension headache include:
Fortunately, most tension headaches respond well to over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications like Advil, Motrin (ibuprofen), or Tylenol (acetaminophen). Talk with your healthcare provider before taking any medications after surgery.
Migraine symptomsmight include:
If you are recovering from surgery involving regional anesthesia for an epidural or spinal block and are experiencing a spinal headache, symptoms can include:
How Are Headaches After Surgery Treated?
Headaches following surgery can be frustrating and painful, especially for patients who wish to focus on rehabilitation and recovery. But, fortunately, there are treatments available to help manage headache pain.
Some treatments include:
If you have a spinal headache that lasts for more than one or two days, your healthcare provider may recommend anepidural blood patch(EBP).
This procedure involves injecting a small amount of the patient’s own blood into the space where the CSF leak is. This process can help seal the leak, allowing cerebrospinal pressure to restore to normal and eliminate the headache.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
You should also contact your healthcare provider if your headache persists despite treatment or causes significant disability.
When Should You Worry About a Headache?
Summary
Headaches are not uncommon after surgery and can result from anesthesia, the type of surgery, stress, or other causes. Surgery of the brain, head, or face also may increase the chance of having a headache after surgery. Symptoms and level of severity depend on the type of headache. After surgery, treatment includes drinking plenty of water, caffeine (for those in caffeine withdrawal), rest, and over-the-counter pain medications.
A Word From VerywellThere are a number of causes of headaches after surgery (both directly and indirectly related to the procedure), and most of them are easily managed. Having a knowledge of the “red-flag” symptoms of more concerning headaches can help you get the advanced care you need in your situation.—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
There are a number of causes of headaches after surgery (both directly and indirectly related to the procedure), and most of them are easily managed. Having a knowledge of the “red-flag” symptoms of more concerning headaches can help you get the advanced care you need in your situation.—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
There are a number of causes of headaches after surgery (both directly and indirectly related to the procedure), and most of them are easily managed. Having a knowledge of the “red-flag” symptoms of more concerning headaches can help you get the advanced care you need in your situation.
—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liao CY, Li CC, Liu HY, et al.Migraine headaches after major surgery with general or neuraxial anesthesia: a nationwide propensity-score matched study.IJERPH. 2021;19(1):362. doi:10.3390/ijerph19010362American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.John Hopkins Medicine.Anesthesia.Shibata Y.Persistent post-craniotomy headache: A three-case series.Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery. 2020;19:100598. doi:10.1016/j.inat.2019.100598Hoffman MR, McCulloch TM.Relief from cluster headaches following extraction of an ipsilateral infected tooth.Ear Nose Throat J. 2013;92(6):269-271. doi:10.1177/014556131309200608American Migraine Foundation.Top 10 migraine triggers and how to deal with them.American Migraine Foundation.Sleep disorders and headache.Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Anderson J, Dhakal A, et al.Caffeine Withdrawal. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Meng L, Yu W, Wang T, Zhang L, Heerdt PM, Gelb AW.Blood pressure targets in perioperative care.Hypertension. 2018;72(4):806-817. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11688Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headache.Partownavid P, Wang L, Alaei S, Rahman S.Post-dural puncture headache following lumbar spinal drain: an atypical presentation with cognitive symptoms.Anaesth Rep. 2021;9(2):e12127. doi:10.1002/anr3.12127
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liao CY, Li CC, Liu HY, et al.Migraine headaches after major surgery with general or neuraxial anesthesia: a nationwide propensity-score matched study.IJERPH. 2021;19(1):362. doi:10.3390/ijerph19010362American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.John Hopkins Medicine.Anesthesia.Shibata Y.Persistent post-craniotomy headache: A three-case series.Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery. 2020;19:100598. doi:10.1016/j.inat.2019.100598Hoffman MR, McCulloch TM.Relief from cluster headaches following extraction of an ipsilateral infected tooth.Ear Nose Throat J. 2013;92(6):269-271. doi:10.1177/014556131309200608American Migraine Foundation.Top 10 migraine triggers and how to deal with them.American Migraine Foundation.Sleep disorders and headache.Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Anderson J, Dhakal A, et al.Caffeine Withdrawal. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Meng L, Yu W, Wang T, Zhang L, Heerdt PM, Gelb AW.Blood pressure targets in perioperative care.Hypertension. 2018;72(4):806-817. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11688Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headache.Partownavid P, Wang L, Alaei S, Rahman S.Post-dural puncture headache following lumbar spinal drain: an atypical presentation with cognitive symptoms.Anaesth Rep. 2021;9(2):e12127. doi:10.1002/anr3.12127
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Liao CY, Li CC, Liu HY, et al.Migraine headaches after major surgery with general or neuraxial anesthesia: a nationwide propensity-score matched study.IJERPH. 2021;19(1):362. doi:10.3390/ijerph19010362American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.John Hopkins Medicine.Anesthesia.Shibata Y.Persistent post-craniotomy headache: A three-case series.Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery. 2020;19:100598. doi:10.1016/j.inat.2019.100598Hoffman MR, McCulloch TM.Relief from cluster headaches following extraction of an ipsilateral infected tooth.Ear Nose Throat J. 2013;92(6):269-271. doi:10.1177/014556131309200608American Migraine Foundation.Top 10 migraine triggers and how to deal with them.American Migraine Foundation.Sleep disorders and headache.Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Anderson J, Dhakal A, et al.Caffeine Withdrawal. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.Meng L, Yu W, Wang T, Zhang L, Heerdt PM, Gelb AW.Blood pressure targets in perioperative care.Hypertension. 2018;72(4):806-817. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11688Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headache.Partownavid P, Wang L, Alaei S, Rahman S.Post-dural puncture headache following lumbar spinal drain: an atypical presentation with cognitive symptoms.Anaesth Rep. 2021;9(2):e12127. doi:10.1002/anr3.12127
Liao CY, Li CC, Liu HY, et al.Migraine headaches after major surgery with general or neuraxial anesthesia: a nationwide propensity-score matched study.IJERPH. 2021;19(1):362. doi:10.3390/ijerph19010362
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.
John Hopkins Medicine.Anesthesia.
Shibata Y.Persistent post-craniotomy headache: A three-case series.Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery. 2020;19:100598. doi:10.1016/j.inat.2019.100598
Hoffman MR, McCulloch TM.Relief from cluster headaches following extraction of an ipsilateral infected tooth.Ear Nose Throat J. 2013;92(6):269-271. doi:10.1177/014556131309200608
American Migraine Foundation.Top 10 migraine triggers and how to deal with them.
American Migraine Foundation.Sleep disorders and headache.
Sajadi-Ernazarova KR, Anderson J, Dhakal A, et al.Caffeine Withdrawal. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
Meng L, Yu W, Wang T, Zhang L, Heerdt PM, Gelb AW.Blood pressure targets in perioperative care.Hypertension. 2018;72(4):806-817. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11688
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headache.
Partownavid P, Wang L, Alaei S, Rahman S.Post-dural puncture headache following lumbar spinal drain: an atypical presentation with cognitive symptoms.Anaesth Rep. 2021;9(2):e12127. doi:10.1002/anr3.12127
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