ZocdocAnswersWhat does it mean if your temples throb?


What does it mean if your temples throb?

I have a throbbing sensation in my temples on both sides. What is making this happen? I don?t have a headache but the feeling in my temples has me nervous that something is wrong with my head. What is it?


Pain over the temples can often be a form of headache, especially tension headache. This can occur as isolated pain in the muscles over the temples even without having pain elsewhere in the head. Tension headache involving this part of the head would be more common if you notice that the pain is worse late in the day or when your are stressed or fatigued. Depending on your age, it could be important to rule out a more serious medical problem as well. In particular, in middle aged to elderly adults, a condition called temporal arteritis should not be missed. If you notice that you have pain isolated to the temples, especially if you can feel the artery pulsating there and feel that the pain is localized to the artery, this needs to be checked out immediately. You should also mention to your doctor if you have had any visual changes, such as blurry or double vision, as this could be related to a serious side effect of temporal arteritis. Fortunately temporal arteritis is easily treated if it is caught in time. Start by setting up an appointment with your primary care doctor - they will help you sort out what is going on!

