Headaches in Children

Ten million children ages 5-17 experience chronic headaches. In fact about 20 percent of people who currently suffer from migraine or tension-type headaches report that their headaches began before age 10.

Signs that your child may be suffering from migraine or chronic headaches include:

• Experiences car or motion sickness
• Other family members have a history of migraine
• Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain
• Physical activity increases pain
• Wakes up because of headache
• With rest, headache goes away
• Changes in temperament/personality
• Headache severity increases and/or headaches occur more frequently

If your child is experiencing one or more of these signs, schedule an appointment with your child’s physician. It is also helpful to keep a diary of your child’s headaches, make sure your child gets plenty of sleep at regular times, avoid changes in your child’s eating routine and encourage open communication between you and your child.

Appointments

The St. John Health Chronic Headache and Migraine Institute is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m. To schedule an appointment, please call (248) 967-7988.