Hello downunder-ga:
You asked:
"I regularly get what feels like a hair ache on the crown of my head.
It is as though the roots of a clump of hair are aching. What causes
this and how does one treat this."
Your title says "Ponytail syndrome," but you don't mention in your
question that you pull your hair taut. I assume you meant you have
that sort of sensation, even when your hair isn't pulled taut.
(Otherwise the pain would have gone away once you removed the rubber
band or hair ribbon!) So I went hunting for possible causes of your
discomfort:
I first tried searching under "ponytail syndrome" and found that the
pain is caused by hair breakage in the "forehead region." See "Kevis
Hair Rejuvenation":
http://www.naturodoc.com/library/kevis/kevis_hair_program.htm
But I suspected this is more likely a medical problem. "Trichodynia"
is a catch-all term for hair pain, and there's some current research
and debate regarding its possible causes and significance.
Some people who've experienced hair pain, have also suffered hair
loss. But studies searching for a possible link suggest hair pain
doesn't mean baldness is definitely in your future.
A 2002 summary, "Hair pain (trichodynia): frequency and relationship
to hair loss and patient gender," by Willimann B, Trueb, posted at the
National Library of Medicine's site:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12444334&dopt=Abstract
concerns a 2002 study that examined whether trichodynia may be a
predictor of hair loss and concluded: "The symptom neither allows
discrimination of the cause nor correlates with the activity of hair
loss. A higher prevalence of female patients might be connected to
gender-related differences in pain perception in relation to anxiety."
This January 16, 2003 report from Stop Hair Loss Now, "Hair Pain Does
Not Correlate to Hair Loss":
http://www.stophairlossnow.co.uk/News/News138.htm
offers encouraging news that hair pain may NOT be a portent of
eventual hair loss.
I realize you hadn't mentioned you were having hair loss, but since
you may come across that theory, I wanted you to be aware of it.
I finally had some success when I searched WebMD, where I found an
article, "Super-Sensitive Nerves Play Key Role in Migraine Pain." The
April 2000 article is posted at:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_57032.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}
Here's some excerpts: "The most interesting part of the study was when
I asked patients 'Does your hair hurt? Do you feel pain from your
earrings or glasses or water in the shower; can you shave without
pain?'" lead investigator Rami Burstein, PhD, tells WebMD."
"Stephen Silberstein, MD, director of the Jefferson Headache Center in
Philadelphia, calls the research a major advance in understanding
migraines. Silberstein, who was not involved in the study, tells WebMD
that the findings confirm something physicians long suspected. '. . .
[F]or a long time we have been hypothesizing what happens in people
during a migraine attack -- we've been saying maybe it is
sensitization, but nobody ever demonstrated it is true," he says. "It
tells us why migraine sufferers suffer pain everywhere, why their hair
hurts."
Incidentally, WebMD's search engine didn't recognize the term
"trichodynia," so I found that article by typing "hair pain."
I found a brief article -- sorry, I lost the link -- that notes that
the study of hair pain is in its infancy; the phenomenon is not that
well understood at this time, but research is in progress.
The consensus from the material I have read strongly suggests that you
MUST tell your doctor about your hair pain. If he/she dismisses your
symptoms, seek a second opinion.
You will likely be referred to a neurologist and a dermatologist and,
from what I've read, you should be examined by one or two specialists.
Obviously, the treatment will be based on the diagnosis. (If it is
early stage migraine, there are several new, very effective
prescription drugs that may help you.)
Beyond popping over-the-counter pain medications -- which may not be
addressing your pain, as it is -- it doesn't appear that you can
remedy this problem without expert medical guidance.
But I do suspect you have "super-sensitive nerves," and the pain you
feel in your hair is very real pain that requires medical attention.
Search Strings: "hair pain"
"trichodynia cause treatment"
I hope that my research has helped you, and I certainly hope you
receive an accurate diagnosis very soon.
Regards,
nancylynn-ga |
