They're pain felt on the side of your head between your eye and your ear. It's a description of where the pain is, not a diagnosis, as the cause can vary.
Types and Causes of Temple Headaches
Figuring out what type of temple headache you have is a good step toward relief.
Tension headache
The most common type of headache, this usually has dull, non-throbbing pain. You may get tension headaches when you're under stress or tired. These are called episodic tension headaches. Or you may have chronic tension headaches, which happen multiple times a week — or even all the time.
Migraine
While migraine symptoms vary from person to person, a common place for migraine pain to start is in your temples.
Temporal arteritis
This is when the temporal arteries on the sides of your head are swollen, lowering the blood flow. (It's sometimes called giant cell arteritis.) These arteries deliver blood to your eyes, brain, and more. In severe cases, the artery could become completely blocked. If that happens, you may be at risk for vision problems or even a stroke.
Temporal arteritis may feel like a migraine at first because it starts with throbbing in the temple on one side of your head. But unlike a migraine, temporal arteritis makes your temples tender to the touch, and the throbbing may be constant. This condition needs medical help right away.
To diagnose it, your doctor will test your erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which measures how quickly your red blood cells sink to the bottom of a test tube. A faster rate means there may be inflammation in your arteries.
Your doctor may suggest taking a biopsy of the artery to confirm the diagnosis.
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
Another cause of temple pain, TMJ disorders cause pain in the muscles and joints in your jaw. Your doctor or dentist can diagnose TMJ disorders.
Symptoms of Temple Headaches
These depend on what's causing your headache.
Tension
- Pain in your forehead
- Pain in your neck or the back of your head (tension headaches are rooted in the neck muscles at the base of your skull)
- A feeling of your head being pressed or squeezed
Migraine
The pulsating pain may spread to both temples but often stays on just one side of your head. Other symptoms of a migraine can include:
- Fatigue, depression, or irritability before the pain starts
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Seeing auras, such as halos or flashing lights
- Watery eyes, runny nose, or congestion
Temporal arteritis
Besides temple pain on one side of your head, this type of headache can cause:
- Low fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Pain in the jaw while chewing
| Tension headache | Migraine headache | Temporal arteritis |
|---|---|---|
| Where: Both temples | Where: Often one side | Where: One or both sides |
| Feels like: Dull, squeezing | Feels like: Pulsing | Feels like: Throbbing |
| Pattern: Builds with stress | Pattern: Episodes last hours | Pattern: More likely past age 50 |
| Key clue: Gets better with rest or over-the-counter meds | Key clue: Nausea, light or sound sensitivity | Key clue: Jaw pain when chewing, vision changes |
Temporomandibular joint disorders
Other symptoms include:
- Pain in any area involved in chewing, such as the jaw or neck
- Clicking or popping sounds in your jaw
- Your teeth fit together differently
Temple Headache Treatment
Treatments for a temple headache include coffee, over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription drugs, and physical therapy. The best treatment depends on your type of temple headache.
Tension headache
You can likely treat your tension headache yourself. Try taking an OTC pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Panadol, Tylenol), aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin), or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin). Sometimes, a nap will do the trick, too. Celecoxib (Celebrex) is a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that works to treat headache.
If you take medicine two to three times per week and your headaches aren't going away, tell your doctor. They may be able to give you a prescription or refer you to a headache specialist.
Migraine
Without treatment, a migraine can last 4-72 hours. The treatment for migraine attacks varies depending on the symptoms and amount of pain.
If you feel an occasional migraine coming on, your doctor may recommend a nonprescription pain reliever such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen. Caffeine can also help, so try sipping a cup of coffee or tea. Some people use ice packs.
If these don't work, you may need to see your doctor for a stronger treatment plan.
Triptans with NSAIDs. Several medications combine these two drug classes, which may work better for acute migraine than using either drug alone. They include:
- Sumatriptan-naproxen (Treximet). This is the best-studied combination drug. It's more effective than taking either the triptan or NSAID separately.
- Rizatriptan-meloxicam (Symbravo). Human studies show that this may provide greater and longer-lasting migraine relief than taking either drug alone or an inactive medicine.
Other triptan-NSAID combinations include Frovatriptan (Frova) plus the painkiller dexketoprofen or rizatriptan (Maxalt) with acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brands). Side effects of these combo drugs include dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, and pain or discomfort in your neck, jaw, and elsewhere.
Or your doctor may prescribe a nausea medication or a triptan drug such as:
- Almotriptan
- Eletriptan (Relpex)
- Imigran or sumatripan (Imitrex, Onzetra Xsail,Zembrace)
- Naratriptan (Amerge, Naramig)
- Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
Triptans stimulate serotonin in your brain and usually stop a migraine attack in two hours. They can be taken as a tablet, nasal spray, or injection.
Other prescription-strength medicines that are available to treat migraine are ditans, such as lasmiditan (Reyvow), which are similar to triptans, and gepants, such as rimegepant (Nurtec) and ubrogepant (Ubrelvy), which block the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).
Temporal arteritis
For temporal arteritis, your doctor may prescribe a steroid to reduce inflammation in your arteries.
Temporomandibular joint disorders
Sometimes, TMJ disorders go away without treatment. Sometimes, stopping a bad habit, such as grinding your teeth or chewing your fingernails, can help.
But if the pain continues, then your doctor may recommend:
- OTC pain medication
- Muscle relaxants
- Physical therapy
- Corticosteroid injections
- Arthroscopic surgery
Pressure Points for Headache Relief
If you're looking for a way to treat a tension headache without medication, acupressure may be an option. It's a traditional Chinese medicine practice in which you place pressure on certain parts of your body (called acupoints) to get relief. Here are some pressure points that you can try:
Feng Chi (GB-20). This point is behind your ears, where your neck muscles attach to your skull. Use both thumbs to press the point below where your skull curves inward slightly.
He Gu (L1-4). On your hand, firmly press the area between your thumb and pointer (index) finger.
Tai Yang (EX-HN5). Link your fingers, and using your thumbs, press the outer corner of your eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet, closest to your temples.
Jian Jing (GB-21). Apply downward pressure using your pointer finger or thumb on the end of your shoulder.
When to Worry About a Temple Headache
Talk to your doctor if your temple headache comes along with:
- Neck stiffness
- A painful or tender jaw when you chew
- A constant fever higher than 103 F
- Cancer or an autoimmune disease
- Numbness or weakness
You should also be concerned if your headaches happen only when you're lying down or standing up or they happen more often or feel different than usual, especially if you're 50 years or older.
Go to the emergency room right away if your headache happens suddenly and gets worse fast. Other emergency symptoms include:
- Confusion
- Weakness
- Loss of balance
- Changes to your vision or speech
- Shortness of breath
Temple Headache Prevention
Stress management may help you avoid a temple headache. You can try massage therapy and healthy lifestyle habits such as exercise and getting enough sleep. Talk to your doctor about treating any underlying health conditions that may be causing your headaches.
Takeaways
When you have a headache in your temples, it could be due to tension headaches, migraine episodes, temporal arteritis, or TMJ disorders. A tension headache causes dull, non-throbbing pain, which can often be treated with OTC pain relievers, but sometimes prescription drugs are required. Talk to your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
FAQs About Temple Headaches
When should I worry about temple pain?
You should be concerned when your temple pain is sudden and severe or it comes with vision changes, weakness, confusion, fever with a stiff neck, or a recent head injury. In these cases, get emergency care.
If you're over 50 and have new, persistent temple pain with scalp tenderness or jaw pain when chewing, see a doctor within a day. Temporal arteritis can threaten vision.
Can stress cause pain in my temples?
Yes, stress is one of the most common causes of this.
Can eyestrain cause temple headaches?
Yes, eyestrain is a common cause of temple headaches.
What's the difference between a temple headache and temporal arteritis?
The key distinction is that a tension or eyestrain headache is a muscle-and-use problem that fluctuates with your activity, while temporal arteritis is an inflammatory condition of the artery that persists and comes with body-wide or tenderness symptoms.
