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Does Your Child Suffer From Headaches?

  • Writer: Dr. Chandrashekhar
    Dr. Chandrashekhar
  • Nov 17
  • 4 min read

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Childhood Headache Disorders


Headaches are surprisingly common in children—and they can be just as disabling as those experienced by adults. Whether your child complains of head pain, stomachaches, or a mix of symptoms, understanding the type of headache and its impact helps you get them the relief they deserve.


This guide explains the different kinds of childhood headaches, why they happen, and how specialists assess and treat them, including tools like PEDMIDAS and HIT-6 that help measure severity.


Why Do Children Get Headaches?

Headaches in children can arise from many factors, including:

  • Poor posture and prolonged screen time

  • Stress or emotional tension

  • Sleep disruptions

  • Dehydration or skipped meals

  • TMJ (jaw) disorders or teeth grinding

  • Sinus congestion or allergies

  • Eye strain

  • Migraine and migraine variants

  • Growth, hormonal shifts, and school-based stressors


Understanding which triggers affect your child is key to preventing flare-ups.
A child with headache
A child with headache


Common Types of Childhood Headaches


1. Tension-Type Headaches

The most common type. Kids often describe:

  • “Pressure,” “tight band,” or “heavy head”

  • Pain on both sides

  • Worsening with stress, screens, or poor posture

Often linked to muscle tension in the jaw, neck, and shoulders.


2. Migraine Headaches

Children can absolutely experience migraines, often presenting with:

  • Throbbing or pulsating pain

  • Light/sound sensitivity

  • Nausea, vomiting, dizziness

  • Fatigue or sudden mood changes

Children may become quiet, pale, or withdrawn during episodes.


3. TMJ-Related Headaches

Jaw joint issues can cause:

  • Jaw popping, clicking, or tenderness

  • Morning headaches (especially if grinding or clenching)

  • Ear fullness

  • Neck pain

  • Difficulty chewing

Common in teens during orthodontic changes, sports, or periods of stress.


4. Headaches from Vision Problems

Uncorrected refractive errors can cause daily headaches, particularly after school or screen-heavy days.


5. Sinus or Allergy-Related Headaches

Seasonal allergies, chronic congestion, or sinus inflammation can contribute to facial pressure and headaches.


A Small but Important Category: Abdominal Migraine

Some children experience migraine not as head pain but as recurring abdominal (belly) pain. Abdominal migraine typically includes:

  • Pain around the belly button

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Loss of appetite

  • Pallor / looking “washed out”

  • Sensitivity to light or sound

  • Episodes lasting 1–72 hours


Routine medical tests may be normal, leading to frustration for families. Abdominal migraine is a migraine variant—many children later develop classic migraine headaches as teens or adults.


How Do We Assess Headaches in Children?

Understanding the impact of headaches is just as important as identifying the type. Two key tools help us measure how much headaches affect your child’s daily life:


Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment
Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment

1. PEDMIDAS (Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment)

PEDMIDAS is a validated questionnaire used worldwide to measure how much headaches affect a child’s school, activities, and quality of life over the past 3 months.


Why it matters :Children often under-report pain. PEDMIDAS helps quantify the impact, including:

  • School absences

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Missed activities or sports

  • Interruptions to daily routines

  • Time spent lying down because of symptoms


How we use it: PEDMIDAS gives a score that helps categorize the disability level:

  • 0–10: Little to no disability

  • 11–30: Mild

  • 31–50: Moderate

  • 51+: Severe impact


This score helps guide treatment intensity and monitor progress over time.



2. HIT-6 (Headache Impact Test-6)

HIT-6 is a short, 6-question tool used to understand the functional impact of headaches—how they affect mood, productivity, daily function, and social engagement.


Why it matters in children and teens: Even if a child doesn’t miss school, headaches may still:

  • Reduce focus

  • Increase irritability

  • Affect sleep

  • Interfere with family life

  • Decrease participation in sports or hobbies


What HIT-6 tells us: HIT-6 scores help determine:

  • Whether headaches are mild, moderate, or severe

  • Whether the child may benefit from preventive therapy

  • Whether their headaches are worsening over time



                                                              Download HIT-6


When Should Parents Seek Medical Evaluation?

It’s time to schedule a professional evaluation if your child has:

  • Recurrent headaches that interfere with school or activities

  • Headaches increasing in frequency or intensity

  • Sensitivity to light or sound

  • Morning headaches or vomiting

  • Jaw pain, clenching, or nightly grinding

  • A family history of migraine

  • Stomach pain episodes consistent with abdominal migraine


Red flags requiring urgent attention include:

  • Headache waking the child from sleep

  • Sudden, severe “worst-ever” headache

  • Visual changes, weakness, or balance issues

  • Headaches after head injury

  • Persistent vomiting or fever


What Parents Can Do at Home


✔ Hydration: Even mild dehydration can trigger headaches.

✔ Sleep Routine: Consistent sleep/wake cycles are essential for migraine prevention.

✔ Posture & Screen Breaks: Teach kids to keep screens at eye level and take breaks every 30–45 minutes.

✔ Stress & Emotional Support: School pressure and social stress are major triggers in kids.

✔ Balanced Nutrition: Regular meals, avoidance of skipping, and stable blood sugar help tremendously.

✔ Headache Diary: Tracking symptoms helps identify patterns and improves accuracy in diagnosis.


How Our Clinic Helps


At Advanced TMJ Maxillofacial Pain & Sleep Center, we specialize in evaluating and treating childhood headaches arising from:

  • TMJ and jaw dysfunction

  • Muscle tension in the neck and face

  • Posture and ergonomic issues

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Migraine disorders

  • Stress-related clenching and bruxism

  • Orofacial pain disorders


Our pediatric-friendly approach includes:

  • Detailed exam of jaw joints, muscles, airway, and posture

  • Home care routines and posture re-training

  • Customized exercises

  • Gentle therapies (manual therapy, laser, ultrasound)

  • Mild pharmacological strategies

  • Advanced imaging including CBCT and MRI if indicated

  • Non-pharmacological preventative and abortive migraine therapies

  • Collaboration with pediatricians, neurologists, physical therapists, ENTs, ophthalmologists, etc.


Final Thoughts


Headaches in children are real, common, and often under-recognized. Using structured tools, in combination with a thorough clinical evaluation, helps us understand the severity and design an effective treatment plan.


Whether your child has tension headaches, migraines, TMJ-related pain, or sleep apnea, early intervention can restore comfort, confidence, and daily functioning.

If your child is struggling with headaches, we’re here to help you find answers.


References to explore:

  1. American Migraine Foundation – Pediatric Migraine https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/living-with-migraine/pediatric-migraine/

  2. American Migraine Foundation – Treating Migraine in Children https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/treating-migraine-in-children/

  3. Association of Migraine Disorders – Migraine in Children and Adolescents https://www.migrainedisorders.org/migraine-disorders/migraine-in-children/

  4. American Headache Society – Pediatric Migraine (Primary Care Resource) https://americanheadachesociety.org/resources/primary-care/pediatric-migraine


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