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What Is a Post-Dural-Puncture Headache?

By Jillian O Keeffe
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 7,595
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The dura is the strong, flexible covering of the spinal cord inside the bones of the spine. Certain medical procedures require a needle to puncture the dura, and other medical techniques can accidentally puncture the dura. As the dura contains the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that bathes and protects the nerves inside the spine and brain, damage to it can cause a CSF leak. A headache can result if the leak lowers the pressure inside the dura, and this post-dural-puncture headache can last for weeks and cause discomfort and pain during this time. Procedures that carry a chance of post-dural-puncture headache include epidurals for laboring women and lumbar punctures for test reasons.

A human spine is composed of bony structures that are hollow in the inside. Nerves run through the hollows of the bones, and these nerves are surrounded and protected by CSF. Outside of the nerves is the dura layer, which is made up of strong connective tissue fibers. Normally, the dura remains intact, unless it is damaged by injury or by insertion of spinal needles.

Some medical tests involve the use of needles to reach the interior area of the spine. For laboring women undergoing epidurals, the needle is supposed to get into the epidural space around the dura, and not into the dura. People who require anesthetic for medical procedures, or for pain management, may also receive spinal injections. Some cases, such as those people who may be suffering from meningitis, require a deliberate puncture of the dura so a doctor can remove a sample of CSF to check for infection.

Whether the dura is punctured deliberately or accidentally, the post-dural-puncture headache has a relatively high tendency to occur as a side effect. When spinal injection techniques were first used at the end of the 19th century, post-dural-puncture headaches were very common. As needles became smaller and were made from designs that were less likely to cause accidental damage, the risk of the headaches fell. In patients, the highest risk exists for people undergoing deliberate dural puncture, followed by women receiving epidurals. The risk for people receiving anesthesia in the spinal area tends to be much lower than the other procedures.

As of 2011, the exact way in which a dural puncture produces a post-dural-puncture headache is not known. A reduction in CSF pressure does appear to be a cause, but the reasons for pain in the head are not definite. One possibility is a decrease in the physical support for brain structures, which may produce pain signals when unsupported as normal. Alternatively, the reduction of CSF pressure results in an increase in blood vessel diameter, which is also capable of producing pain in the head.

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Discussion Comments
By Lostnfound — On Jun 27, 2014

My sister had meningitis probably 20 years ago. They had to do a spinal tap to confirm it and she had a raging headache for about a week. That. coupled with meningitis, but at least the doctor prescribed some heavy duty pain meds and they made her sleep a lot.

She said nothing but narcotics helped her, the pain was so severe. She couldn't even open her eyes when it was really bad. If this kind of headache happens sometimes to women who have had epidurals, it makes me wonder if they might not contribute occasionally to post-partum depression. I think I'd be pretty darn depressed if I had a constant headache and a newborn to care for!

By Grivusangel — On Jun 26, 2014

My friend's little girl is undergoing treatment for leukemia. She has to have a lumbar puncture every so often and almost always gets a bad headache afterward. My friend said the headache usually lasts a couple of days, but not much longer.

She said the doctors have told her to make sure her daughter drinks plenty of water before and after the procedure, and she said that did help a little. She gives her acetaminophen and said that helps, too. Maybe the medical geniuses of the world can figure out a way to prevent this issue someday.

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