{"id":180007,"date":"2026-08-14T11:22:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/?p=180007"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T11:41:59","slug":"headache-physical-exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pabau.com\/fr\/blog\/headache-physical-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Headache physical exam: A clinician’s step-by-step guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Key takeaways<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n
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A headache physical exam separates primary headaches from secondary causes that need urgent treatment.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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The sequence runs vital signs, general inspection, head and neck assessment, then a full neurological examination.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Red flags such as thunderclap onset, papilledema, neck stiffness, and fever always need urgent investigation.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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The SNOOP mnemonic screens for systemic illness, neurologic symptoms, sudden onset, onset after 50, and pattern change.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Practice management software like Pabau lets you build headache templates that prompt every examination domain in order.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

Papilledema, meningism, and a new focal deficit are all easy findings to spot. They are also easy to skip when a busy consultation runs on instinct instead of a sequence. That is the risk a structured headache physical exam removes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide walks through the exam in the order you perform it. It starts with the history that shapes your priorities, then vital signs, head and neck assessment, meningismus testing, and the neurological examination. It ends with the red flags that force escalation. Solid patient care management<\/a> workflows keep each step on the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a headache physical exam covers and why it matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The exam has one job. It tells you whether a headache is primary, meaning migraine, tension-type, or cluster, or secondary to an underlying condition. Primary headaches account for over 90% of presentations. The remaining 10% include conditions that turn fatal when they are missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A complete examination draws on history, physical assessment, and neurological evaluation. No single finding is diagnostic on its own. Together they point you toward a working diagnosis and tell you how urgently to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n