What causes a throbbing headache, ?

Blood pumping: The throbbing in headaches (typically migraines) is generally thought to be caused by excessive blood being pumped into the area. At one time, these headaches were called "vascular headaches" for this reason. There are many other possible causes including high blood pressure and increased intracranial pressure, which are much more ominous. Best to see your doctor for a checkup

Variable: There are many causes of headache, including migraine, muscle contraction headaches, cluster headaches, vascular headaches, and very rarely true infectious sinusitis. However, if this problem is frequent and disabling, the rare possibility of an intra-cranial mass must be ruled out. You need to see a neurologist and perhaps a cat scan or MRI of the brain needs to be performed.