I have always been plagued by frequent headaches, and not just one kind. I used to get sinus headaches a lot, along with nosebleeds. But that has since stopped after my ENT doctor did something a while ago to stop the blood vessels from rupturing. I don't remember what exactly he did, I was only 10 at the time. But anyway, for the past two or three years I've been getting frequent headaches that start with a stiff jaw. I can tell when I'm going to get a headache because it feels like my jaw gets locked up, and I get pain in my temple area. The area of the headache changes; sometimes it's the top or back, but most of the time it's my forehead and the temples. I take Advil which usually helps for most of them, and I got Migraine Ice pads to cool my forehead. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I can't keep my eyes open and I have to go to bed with a wet washcloth on my head. What kind of headaches are these, and could it indicate anything more serious? I've been told it might be tension headaches, but no one's ever really explained it to me. Thanks for the help :-)

Several years ago I was having frequent headaches, neck pain, stiff jaw and earache. A trip to the ear/nose/throat doctor for the earache landed me at the oral surgeon. Diagnosis: TMJ. Having TMJ affects not only your jaw but can give you all the symptoms I mentioned above. Muscle relaxers and pain pills were prescribed and they helped. Now I try to avoid taking big bites, chewing gum, etc. I'd check into it.