NR603 Week 1 Assignment, Comparison and Contrast Assignment: Migraines and Post-Concussive Syndrome

NR603 Week 1 Assignment, Comparison and Contrast Assignment: Migraines and Post-Concussive Syndrome Walker- Migraine Headache and Tension Headache Week 1 Part 1: Due Wednesday by 1159PM MT MN You will research the two areas of content assigned to you and compare and contrast them in discussion post. NOTE: A comparison and contrast assignment is not about listing the info regarding each disease separately but rather looking at each disease side by side and discussing the similarities and differences given the categories below. Consider how each patient would actually present to the office. Consider how their history would affect their diagnosis, etc. Evaluation of mastery is focused on the student's ability to demonstrate specific understanding of how the diagnoses differ and relate to one another. Address the following topics below in your own words: Presentation Pathophysiology Assessment Diagnosis Treatment Dr. Ameri and class, Walker- Migraines and Tension headaches Presentation: Migraines in adults are of moderate to severe intensity, unilateral, and described as a throbbing or pulsating sensation. The patient may complain of nausea, vomiting, an aura, and sensitivity to light, noise, and/or smells. The patient may feel foggy after a migraine (Moriarty & Mallick- Searle, 2016). Tension-type headaches is the common headache and usually doesn’t require seeking medical attention. Tension-type headaches are of mild to moderate pain intensity, bilateral, described as dull pain or pressure, and do not throb. These patients may suffer from less than 15 headaches per month and they may last anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 days. Tension-type headaches are not aggravated by physical activity unlike migraines. Patients with tension-type headaches won’t have symptoms of nausea or vomiting. Tension-type headaches may cause a sensitivity to light or noise but not both (Rizzoli & Mullally, 2018). In all reality, migraines are associated with more severe pain, may be debilitating, and may require medical management to improve quality of life (Moriarty & Mallick-Searle, 2016). Pathophysiology: Migraines are a multi-factorial, recurrent, and hereditary headache disorder. Migraines may have prodromes or auras that exhibit several hours before the migraine occurs (Burstein, Noseda, & Borsook, 2015). Auras are correlated to four different aspects of the brain: hypothalamus, brainstem, cortex, or limbic system. It is believed that migraines begin in areas of the brain capable of initiating an aura, but the headache occurs from the consequential activation of meningeal nociceptors (Burstein et al., 2015). Tension-type headaches are associated with an activation of nociceptors too, but the pain receptors are located in the pericranial myofascial tissues. Muscular pain tends to be dull, achy, and poorly localized which is often times how tension-type headaches feel to patients. Studies have shown that patients with an increased sensitivity to stimuli (even harmless stimuli) in the pericranial myofascial tissues are likely to exhibit more frequent tension-type headaches (Hanier & Matheson, 2013). Migraines and tension-type headaches are similar in the fact that the activation of nociceptors cause pain but the location of these pain receptors differ in location and cause different intensities of pain. Assessment: The writer would perform a neurological examination for both cases; however, it is easy to distinguish between a migraine or tension headache based on the patient’s presentation. Obtaining a proper history including onset, location, duration, characteristics, aggravating, relieving, treatment, and severity. The provider should ask when the headaches first began, if any trauma has occurred, and family history of migraines. It is important to ask about mental health, sleep disorders, current medications the patient is taking, and social history (Weatherall, 2015). Observe how the patient walks including gait, posture, speed, symmetry, and coordination when getting on the exam table. Assess the patient’s speech, use of language, and facial symmetry. Assess the patient’s mental status. Perform an examination on cranial nerves I-XII. Assess the motor system of the upper and lower extremities with active range of motion with and without resistance for signs of weakness or differences of strengths. Assess for sensation of the face and all four extremities (Buttaro, Trybulski, Polar-Bailey, & Sandburg-Cook, 2017). Serious exam findings may include: new onset of headache after the age of 50, personality change, papilledema, decreased deep tendon reflexes, painful temporal arteries, asymmetry of pupillary responses (Buttaro, Trybulski, Polgar-Bailey, & Sandburg-Cook, 2017). Diagnosis: The diagnosis of migraines and tension-type headaches are made upon presentation without lab or imaging. The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) is a tool utilized to diagnose between different types of headaches. Patients with migraines have to have at least 5 attacks that last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours and had a least two of the four characteristics: unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate to severe pain, and/or aggravated by routine physical activity. The patient will also complain of nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and/or noise (Weatherall, 2015). Tension-type headaches are diagnosed based upon the ICHD and the patient may have a headache occurring on 1 to less than 15 days per month with mild to moderate severity, non-pulsating, and the headache is not aggravated by physical activity (Weatherall, 2015). The difference between the two headaches is based upon subjective data retrieved from the patient and the use of the ICHD will assist the provider to diagnose the condition. Imaging may be warranted if papilledema is seen on fundoscopy, new onset of seizures, changes in memory or coordination, or if the patient has a history of cancer (Weatherall, 2015). Treatment: