Painful headaches affect your child's ability to participate in school, sports or other activities. Although tension headaches are the most common type of headaches in adolescents, according to the Cleveland Clinic, children and teens may also suffer from migraine headaches, a type of recurrent headache that can also cause nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. No matter what type of headache your child experiences, pain medications and other remedies can relieve symptoms and help him return to the activities he enjoys.
Medication
Over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium or acetaminophen, may be helpful in reducing pain from tension or migraine headaches. While these medications may help if your child has mild or moderate migraines, they may be ineffective for severe migraines. Your doctor may prescribe triptan medications or drugs containing ergotamine and caffeine for relief of more severe migraine headaches. If migraines or tension headaches occur often, your child's doctor might recommend that she take a preventive medication daily. Common medications prescribed to prevent headaches include anti-depressants, beta blockers and anti-seizure medications.
Muscle Relaxation
Muscles tighten as a reaction to pain, making a headache worse. While relaxing the muscles might not completely remove headache pain, it can be helpful in reducing pain. Heat from a heating pad or bath can help relax muscles, as can massaging the head, neck and shoulders. Use gentle pressure when performing massage. Take note of particularly painful areas and gently press on them for 10 seconds before releasing. If your child's symptoms don't improve after using heat or massage, try applying an icepack to the head or neck.
Other Relaxation Techniques
Stress can be a factor in both tension and migraine headaches. Learning relaxation techniques can help your child ward off headaches when she feels the first twinges of pain. Practicing deep breathing skills can help your child relax. Deep breathing begins by inhaling slowly through the nose, while placing the hand on the abdomen. When deep breathing is done correctly, the hand on the abdomen will rise slowly during inhalation. After you child inhales, ask her to hold her breath for 10 seconds before releasing the inhaled air slowly through her mouth. Learning progressive muscle relaxation techniques might also help your child relax. During progressive muscle relaxation, your child focuses on tensing and relaxing the various muscle groups of the body.
Flare Techniques
Flare techniques can be helpful in relieving pain when a headache strikes. When your child complains of a headache, ask him to tilt his head away from the most painful side of his head. Return the head to the original position and repeat the process 30 times in 30 seconds. Repeat with the other side of the head. Dawn A. Marcus, M.D. notes on the National Pain Foundation website that the head should only move about 25 percent of its maximum range during these movements. Dr. Marcus also recommends the positional distraction technique. During this exercise, your child lies on his back on the floor and places the middle part of his head on a stack of books 1 to 2 inches higher than the floor. Place a towel on top of the books. Have him relax his muscles to allow the head to stretch slightly upward from the neck.
