Severe Head and Neck Pain Can Be Caused by Lyme Disease

Any number of medical conditions can cause head and neck pain (some, more serious than others), so it's always important to seek medical care if you experience severe head ache and neck discomfort. One possible cause to consider is Lyme Disease which, as you may know, can come from having been bitten by a tick.

It's probably safe to say that most people are familiar with Lyme Disease and the way it's transmitted, and most have heard about the tell-tale "bull's-eye" rash commonly associated with Lyme Disease. The rash that can signal the presence of Lyme Disease infection, however, may not appear in all cases. 20% of Lyme Disease cases occur without rash being a symptom.

It's probably also safe to say that most people are familiar with the fact that Lyme Disease can lead to joint paint, as well as a variety of other medical problems (some of which are associated with more advanced stages of the disease, some of which may not be as common as the more well known symptoms/consequences).

Migraine sufferers, in particular, need to be aware that their severe headache may not be another migraine headache that is somewhat different from, or more extreme than, the kind of migraine headache they usually get. Individuals with a history of migraine headaches may be less inclined to seek medical treatment, assuming their migraine is "just different this time" for one reason or another. Since women are the more frequent sufferers of migraine headaches (because hormonal changes are among the many possible triggers for migraine headaches), it's easy to see how a woman with severe head pain may believe she's having another migraine, and even that her migraine pain has changed in nature (perhaps because she had a recent pregnancy, is of peri-menopause age, or has gone through menopause).

With some symptoms of migraine headache being similar to headache associated with Lyme Disease, it's important that individuals with a history of migraine seek medical attention if their headache seems different from, or more extreme than, their usual migraine headaches are.

In people with no history of migraine headache there may be more tendency to seek medical help more quickly. Regardless of whether or not you're accustomed to getting one kind of headache or another, the point is that one possible cause is Lyme Disease. It's important to emphasize that head and neck pain can be caused by something as relatively minor as sleeping "the wrong way" or something as serious as Meningitis, which can be caused by both a virus and bacteria. In fact, one form of Meningitis is associated with Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease is treatable when diagnosed early, which is why it's so important not to delay seeking medical attention if you experience severe headache and neck discomfort. If it turns out that the cause of your pain is diagnosed as some other serious medical condition, immediate medical care is, of course, vital. If it turns out your pain is caused by something less serious, the hours lost at a medical facility will be well worth the peace-of-mind (and possibly help with the pain).

Although it is not one of the more common consequences of Lyme Disease, infection can, in some cases, affect the heart.