5 Year Old Is Having Headaches. Should I Be Worried?

I would certainly recommended following the doctor's suggestion and getting an MRI, but I wouldn't rule out stress either. My husband had severe migraines for several years as a young child, I believe starting around the age of 5. They were so bad, that he would often throw up and have to be pulled out of school. His parents took him to every specialist they could find, did MRIs, allergy tests, chiropractors, etc. Finally (years later) they took him to a psychiatrist who helped him learn how to relax, and the headaches went away.

His parents had gotten divorced, and his mom had remarried, when he was 4 yrs old. Young kids can definitely carry a lot of stress.

Dear Rae,

As mothers, we're always worried! I recommend you take your daughter to Tampa Neurology Associates. A friend of mine took her son there for headaches, etc. She saw Dr. Ferrera & was very pleased. You could drive yourself crazy searching for answers on the internet. Give yourself some peace of mind & let the professionals diagnose the source of her headaches. You're a very good mommy to pay attention to your daughter's needs! No child should have to suffer with headaches at such a young age. She'll have enough of those when she becomes a mom herself! Good luck to you both!

Have you ever thought of taking her to a chiropractor? As kids, think about all the jumping, twisting, awkward sleeping positions, etc. All of my kids get adjusted, and do great with it. I know a SUPER family chiro up in the New Tampa area if you are interested.

Good Luck

My son is 10 and has had headaches and migraines since he was four. He does not typically have them in the back of his head, it is usually the front. If she is leading into what my son has experienced I could give you advice ahead of time that I wish I had known to help him. He had multiple tests done, MRI, CT, EEG, etc. to see what was going on and it was finally diagnosed as migraines and cluster headaches. I took him to a bio feedback clinic for help and the key is protein in the morning. The bio feedback clinic will also teach the child how to relax themselves and work through the headache. If you get upset and cry it will make the headache worse. I went to the clinic at Tampa General and it was wonderful. If your child eats sugar for breakfast she will have a rise in her blood sugar and then crash which will cause a headache. I have worked with the school and he eats a protein bar everyday around 9am and he eats eggs in the morning at home. Also I make sure he does not have a lot of sugar in his diet and no sugar past 7pm. It has significantly helped decrease his headaches. He was also having night terrors and with the elimination of sugar in the evening they have stopped. You can also keep a log of what she eats and see review what she ate on the day she had a headache and see if there is a trend. We found that he was allergic to bananas and everytime he ate one he would get a headache or a migraine. It really is not an easy issue to manage and it is very tough on the child. My son often feels that he is not "normal" because none of his friends experience this. One of the other issues we had was his vision. I had taken him to an Optometrist instead of an Opthamoligist and that was a mistake. He was in the wrong prescription and it was so off that they had to change his lenses in two steps because it would have been too drastic to change in one. This was a lengthy response but I feel what you are going through and thought maybe some of our experiences would help you out. I have really learned a lot over the last several years.

I know many people are scared of Chiropractors, and I used to be too, but after suffering with headaches/migranes for a year I tried one, and was amazed to feel better immediately. I take my daughters for adjustments regularly and they feel better after adjustments. I have taken them since they were 6 months old. My eldest daughter rides horses, and of course has taken her share of falls. The chiropracter has said being out of adjustment pinches the nerves in her neck causing a head ache. They stopped after being adjusted. Don't be scared of chiropractors with children, I used to be, but now swear by them. You must try this yourself personally and make the best decision for your daughter. A good chiropractor should take xrays at the initial exam and discuss the treatment with you before giving your daughter her first adjustment.

Try Dr. Robinson at Brooksville Chiropractic ...he's wonderful...his number is ###-###-####.

I know you think you have this resolved, but I would encourage you to at least let her have an exam to check if her neck is out of alignment.

I would highly suggest a chiropractor. I don't know where you live, but there a few I could recommend in Tampa. The one I use and love is Dr. Maddock and his number ###-###-####.

i experienced what you describe when i was young. i have migraines now. also it can very well be stress - even in one so young. school is a new experience and can be very stressing. talk to you daughter to see if anything is bothering her. maybe she is having problems with other kids and she doesn't know how to handle the problems so they are causing her headaches.

we seriously under-estimate our children when we talk about stress. they experience it too - but as a rule, they don't have the vocabulary to express the problems.

Hello, TMJ could be a cause. I would look into a night guard. Keep in mind, this can be a difficult process to fit. If the night guard is off slightly, it may make things worse. Find a dentist that specializes in children/TMJ/grindinding/clenching. Chiropractic might also be an alternative. Western medicine moves too quickly to medicate the issue rather than finding the core reason for the issue.The MRI would relieve your fears but can be scary for your child. I would look into an open MRI and explain exactly what is going to occur during the test to my child.
Try not to stress yourself out too much. I am sure she will be fine.