Out of the different types of Headaches, Tension Headaches are considered to be the least debilitating and usually involve over-the-counter pain killers, coping with Stress and home remedies. Migraine and cluster Headaches are a far bigger drain on energy and vitality.
There are conditions when Tension Headaches can become a source of greater misery. The fact is that Tension Headaches are often underestimated as there is apparently no serious condition behind it. Continued Stress and over-reliance on analgesics that leads to resistance to the drug often turn an acute Tension headache into a chronic condition.
Studies reveal that nearly 66% of Tension headache patients have pain for as much as 25 days a month with some experiencing it practically every day. Migraine attacks are usually acute and when it is over, the pain too is gone. Chronic Tension Headaches may persist over protracted periods and greatly interfere with normal work schedules, sometime even more than Migraine.
Amitriptyline, a tricyclic Antidepressant drug and Mirtazapine, an Antidepressant with a tetracyclic structure form the basis of pharmacological therapy. While the first has serious side effects and interferes with other medications, the second is virtually without any side effects except drowsiness and weight gain.
Alternative therapies for treatment of chronic Tension Headaches include:
- Cranial chiropractic that involves manipulation of the shoulder-neck and spinal areas.
- Acupuncture.
- Massage Therapy.
- Heat therapy, usually using a heat pillow.
- Biofeedback, a training program intended to gain conscious control over physiological responses.
- Training in self-induced relaxation.
- Avoiding triggers.
- Regular swimming for at least two to three times a week.
- Herb based Stress relief products.
Analgesics are symptomatic treatments and do not address the cause of Stress. The basic cause of Stress-related Headaches is muscle Tension in the neck, shoulders and upper back, mostly due to a bad posture. The faulty posture that you may have to adopt at your job continues even while watching television or sitting in a chair at home.
Even while you sleep, you tend to sleep in the fetal position, unconsciously training your muscles to adapt to abnormal positioning. The continuous strain leads to a microscopic tear in neck, shoulder or upper back muscles. The body tries to prevent this by knotting up the muscles causing muscle spasms.
The consequent restriction of blood supply to the back of the brain and irritation of nerve endings is what causes chronic Tension Headaches. Emotional Stress is of course an entirely different field and better treated with psychiatric processes like cognitive behavioral therapy.
Do not just reach out for the painkiller the next time you have a headache. Try and endure it at first. If you do not find relief and feel that the headache is causing problems in carrying out normal life, it is better to consult a physician as Stress affects your overall health in different ways.
Reference:
http://www.docgui…211385256632004AEBF0
http://en.wikiped…iki/Tension_headache
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