Examination of a 30 Year Old Woman with a Recurrent Headache course for GPs

This session uses a video clip to demonstrate how to carry out a focussed, problem-based physical examination on a patient presenting with a recurrent headache in primary care.

This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in September 2018.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Take a focused history to differentiate between the main types of headache that present in general practice and exclude a sinister cause or secondary headache
• Explain the reasons for examination and how you are going to perform it
• Demonstrate a brief neurological examination to exclude a more serious cause of recurrent headache

According to the international headache society, about 30-78% of the population will have a tension headache during their lives, around 40% of the population have had a tension headache within the previous year and 2-3% of the population experience chronic tension headache. Migraine is a disabling primary headache disorder and the most common cause of recurrent disabling headache in the population.