Skin temperature is affected primarily by blood flow. Research scientists have found that thermograms of headache patients show strikingly different heat patterns from those of people who never or rarely get headaches. A physician analyzes the results of all these diagnostic tests along with a patient's medical history and examination in order to arrive at a diagnosis. Muscle contraction headaches appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and neck muscles. Traction and inflammatory headaches are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection.
Some people have more than one type of headache.
Medically Reviewed By Dr. Jacqueline Brooks National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. NIH Publication No. Last updated July 27, 2000. Last reviewed 2001. All rights reserved.