Have You Suffered From Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are those that start with a pain in the back of your head and upper neck and act like a band that tightens and causes pressure. Some describe them as like having a...

Tension headaches are those that start with a pain in the back of your head and upper neck and act like a band that tightens and causes pressure. Some describe them as like having a vise-grip around their head that tightens. The pain is usually NOT disabling and typically affects both sides of the head. You do not experience auras, nor do you have nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light or to sound with them. They are usually infrequent and do not have a pattern to them. Some people though do experience them on a daily basis. People are usually able to go about their daily activities when they have a tension headache.

A tension headache is the most common type of headache experienced by “man”. Approximately 69% of men and 88% of women will develop a tension headache at some time in their lifetime. Anyone can get a tension headache but they occur more frequently in those that are between the ages of 20 and 50.

Tension headaches are in the category of a primary headache. Primary headaches are usually harmless.

Tension headaches can be broken down into types including chronic, episodic or whether or not they involve pericranial muscle tenderness (pain on the outside of the skull).

Episodic tension-type headaches experience at least 10 previous headache episodes that lasted between 30 minutes and 7 days and occurred fewer than 180 times a year. The episodic tension-headache has at least 2 of the following characteristics:

* Both sides of the head experience a pressing/tightening (nonpulsating) type of pain.

* There is a mild to moderate intensity to the pain

* There is no nausea or vomiting

* May experience some sensitivity to light OR sound but not both

Individuals who have chronic tension-type headache have on average a headache at least 15 days out of the month or 180 days out of a year and must also meet the criteria for episodic tension-type headache and also do not have any physical or neurological disorder that would explain the origin of the headaches.

Tension headaches are associated with stress or having experiencing an upsetting emotional situation. Some evidence points to the cause of tension headaches as being caused by a central nervous system dysfunction. There may also be a connection between tension headaches and occasional or long-term imbalances in brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and enkephalins).

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