Introduction Causes Diagnosis Don'ts Conventional treatment

Types Symptoms Do's Prevention Homoeopathic treatment

Tension headache is the most common type of headache amongst all the 'Primary headaches' and it accounts for about 90% of cases. Generally characterised by a diffuse, mild to moderate pain in the head, this complaint affects nearly 3% of the general population. Painful spasm (muscle tightness) and inflammation of muscles of the head and neck are the factors that are primarily responsible for these headaches.

1. Episodic:
   In this variety, the patient suffers from tension-type headaches for less than 15 days a month.
2. Chronic:
   In chronic tension headaches, the episodes occur for more than 15 days a month for at least 6 consecutive months.

As discussed earlier, the primary reason for a tension headache is spasm and contraction of the head and neck muscles. This may occur in response to any of the following triggers:

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Eye strain
• Overuse
• Excessive smoking
• Excess of alcohol intake
• Too much of Caffeine
• Sinus infection
• Nasal congestion
• Overexertion

It must be noted that tension headaches are not associated with structural abnormalities in the brain.

Some of the common symptoms of Tension headaches are as follows:

• Constant Pressure like sensation, dull pain in the head
• Sensation as if the head has been squeezed in a vise
• The pain may be mild to moderate in severity; occasionally the pain is of severe intensity
• The pain is generalized in most cases and is not restricted to a particular area of the head
• No aura (neurological symptoms) before the headache begins
• Stress, fatigue, etc worsen the pain
• Generally there are no accompanying symptoms like nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, etc

An important feature that differentiates Tension headaches from Migraine is that the pain in Migraine is usually incapacitating. In addition, the pain in Tension headaches may be not be unilateral (one-sided) as in Migraine.

Tension headaches are largely diagnosed on the basis of a detailed history and examination findings. In most cases, the neurological examination findings are normal and such cases do not require any further investigations.

In some patients, a CT (Computerized Tomography) scan or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) may be required to rule out other types of headaches or more serious causes of the pain.

• Learn and practice stress management strategies
• Relaxation exercises or meditation can be helpful and must be tried
• Biofeedback shows good response in many cases
• Try keeping warm if the headache is associated with cold
• Use a different pillow if you suspect it to be the cause of pain
• Try changing sleep positions to suit yourself
• Adequate rest is a must
• Hot showers may help you in relieving the pain
• Massage the sore muscles to get relief in case of severe pain

• Avoid eyestrain
• Avoid clenching your jaws: This will reduce muscle tension in your face
• Avoid bad postures
• Avoid irregular eating and sleeping habits

• Try to identify the factors that trigger your headaches and avoid them as far as possible
• Maintain a good posture when reading, working, or doing other activities that may cause headache
• Exercise your neck and shoulders frequently when typing, working on computers, or doing close work

Non-prescription painkillers are the most commonly used drugs for the treatment of tension headaches. These include Aspirin, Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen.

In case the pain is very severe or does not get better with non-prescription painkillers, the physician may advise the use of prescription drugs, which should generally be used only for a short duration.

Homeopathy has very good scope in the treatment of tension headaches. The medication helps in controlling both the frequency as well as the intensity of the attacks of tension headaches. Over a period of time with regular medication, patients begin to feel the visible change in their general health also.

Homeopathy targets the disease at its root cause; hence the results are more lasting. An additional thing to be noted is that the treatment is without any side-effects whatsoever. Hence, Homeopathy is strongly suggested for all cases of Tension headaches.