Headaches can often mask more serious underlying health conditions.
A thorough examination by a licensed physician must be performed prior to diagnosis and treatment of headache cause. The history is the cornerstone of headache diagnosis. Although the physical examination and laboratory tests are usually normal, the clinician should be alert to signs and test results suggesting serious underlying disease. Also important are the age at which the headaches began, the medical and psychosocial history, and any family history of headaches. The neck , since muscle rigidity of the neck is a cardinal sign of meningism, and positive Kernig and Brudzinski signs suggest the possibility of an underlying neurologic pathology.