Short Sharp Pain Headache - Neuralgiform Headaches

These short sharp pain headache symptoms can be a real nuisance, and in a very few people are disabling.

Also called neuralgiform headache, these pains are only very rarely caused by a more serious problem.

If asked to describe these pains, the following terms have been used:"jolts and jabs", "ice-pick pain", "stabbing pains". By definition these pains appear out of the blue as a sudden sharp pain - like a large needle into the head.

The intense pain lasts about 2-3 seconds, and then either resolves immediately, or can produce a dullness in the affected areas for an hour or two.

The pain can be so intense at the start that the person can shudder or even stumble or fall to the ground (a drop attack)!

To wince, or clutch the head in response to the intense sharp pain is commonly observed or heard in the history.



Some of these short sharp headache pains are associated with symptoms of autonomic activation which are:

1. Watering of the eye (lacrimination
2. Reddening of the eye (conjunctival injection)
3. Drooping of the eyelid (eyelid ptosis) Swelling of the orbit or soft tissue around the eye

Causes of neuralgiform headaches:

1. Without Autonomic Activation
• Ice-pick Headache
• Occipital Neuralgia
• Supraorbital Neuralgia
• Epicrania Fugax
• Cough Headache
• Other back of head headaches
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
2. With Autonomic Activation
• SUNCT
• Paroxysmal Hemicrania