Dr Maduka Ogwueleka

TENSION HEADACHE: Ten things you may not know about it

Tension headache may occur suddenly under conditions of emotional duress or intense worry and can last for hours or a day or two. More often it persists unremittingly for weeks or months. In fact, this is the only type of headache that exhibits the peculiarity of being absolutely continuous day and night for long periods of time. The most provoking factors are fatigue and nervous strain.

Here are nine more things you may not know about tension headache:

·        Although sleep may be possible, whenever the sufferer awakens, the headache is present.

·        Most sufferers will complain of pressure (non-throbbing) and tightness- ‘like a tight band around the head’ which aches rather than pains. The ache is usually generalized rather than localized to any particular part of the head.

·        Tension headache can occur in children, adolescents and adults. Females are more afflicted than males.

·        The onset of a given attack is more gradual than is seen in migraine.

·        It is a common experience for both tension headache and common migraine to coexist in the same individual. The management of such persons may need treatment of both types of headache.

·        In contrast to migraine, in which pain is periodic and lifelong, with tendency to lessen in late adult years, tension headache occurs more often in middle age and may persist for many years.

·        The ache is more due to dilatation of blood vessels in the head rather than sustained muscle activity.

·        A common feature of tension headache is that analgesic remedies have little effect in alleviating the discomfort. Relaxation almost always relieves tension headaches. Such relaxation could include bed rest, massage, and/or formal biofeedback training.

·        Psychological studies of groups of patients with tension headaches have revealed prominent symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is on record that 65% of depressed patients have tension headache and that over 60% of patients with tension headache have depression.

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