What is Tension-Type Headache? How Is It Treated?
Tension headache is the most common type of headache. It is a severe headache that occurs with constant tension of the face, head and neck muscles as a result of important changes in human life such as changes in environmental factors, excessive responsibility, disappointments, family and economic problems. Contraction of the muscles in the head or neck may be due to stress or restlessness, sitting in the same position for a long time, a blow such as a traffic accident, or depression.
Most of the time, the patient self-diagnoses migraine. However, tension headache is handled very differently from migraine in terms of both mechanism and treatment. While migraine patients look for a quiet place, patients suffering from tension headaches, on the contrary, want to wander around. Unlike migraines, tension headaches do not affect a single area. It shows a more widespread course. It gets worse as the day progresses. It goes on for hours. Visual impairment and other symptoms that may occur before the pain in migraine are not present in tension headaches. An important finding in tension headaches is the emergence of trigger points that cause reflected pain by applying pressure to the muscles of the head, neck and shoulder area. The most important feature of a tension headache is that it usually starts from the neck area and rises towards the crown and is a squeezing pain. Patients often describe this situation as a squeezing of the head as if it were in a press. Headache; It can be triggered by sleeping less or more than necessary, eating less or more than necessary, consuming too much alcohol, exposure to excessive noise, overworking and other health problems.
In addition to headache, many patients experience a burning sensation and felting in the head. Symptoms such as sensitivity to touch occur. Additionally, complaints such as difficulty concentrating and insomnia may accompany the pain. Nausea or vomiting may occur. However, it is often not as severe as in migraine. Another important point is that migraine and tension-type headache can sometimes occur together. In fact, a patient who complains of migraine may also develop a tension-type headache over time. symptoms may become more prominent. In this case, patients state that the shape, duration and frequency of their headaches change.
Tension-Type Headache Treatment
In addition to medications, various non-drug methods have also begun to be used frequently in the control of headaches. The most important of these methods are psychological interventions such as relaxation training. Patients are taught how to relax. This method is especially effective in treating muscle contraction headaches. In case of pain that is resistant to medication and relaxation training, various injections are made to trigger points in the head, neck and shoulder area to relax the muscles and thus control the pain.
Protection from Tension-Type Headache
It is very important to identify situations that increase stress and stay away from them. For this, if necessary, psychological counseling should be obtained and relaxation techniques should be learned.
Exercising regularly and getting adequate and regular sleep will ensure that the complaints regress. Another important point is to eat regular meals. Tension-type headaches are less common in people who maintain a sense of humor and have a positive outlook on life.
• Approximately 20%-30% of people suffer from tension-type headaches at least once a month.
• Tension-type headaches are 40% more common in women than in men.
We can list the tension-type headache criteria determined by the International Headache Association as follows:
• Headaches are at least It must occur 10 times, lasting from 30 minutes to 7 days.
• Headaches must include at least two of the following features:
Absence of throbbing. Mild or moderate severity (may affect activities, but does not interfere)
It is seen on both sides of the head. It does not get worse due to your daily physical activities.
• During the headache, nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light and sound does not occur.
We know that positive thinking increases the resistance of the whole body and life. For a healthy body; Do not neglect sports, healthy eating and smiling.
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