Generality
Tension headache is the most common form of headache and, relatively, the least painful.
Tension headache is more common in women and mainly affects people who spend a lot of time sitting in incorrect positions or accumulate stress.
Even bad dental occlusion, lack of rest, neck pain and asthenopia (visual fatigue) can contribute to the onset of tension-type headache. The disorder can also be related to depression or anxiety: currently, a form has been recognized headache not associated with muscle tension, therefore probably of psychological origin only.
Tension headache often has variable characteristics in the same person who tends to suffer from it. In many cases, however, this form of headache causes persistent pain, of mild or medium intensity, which is localized in the occipital region, that is, in the back of the skull, above the nape. In some subjects, however, the constricting pain (often referred to as a "circle in the head") is concentrated mainly at the level of the eyes and temples (frontal region), or is widespread throughout the head. Tension headache is frequently bilateral, that is, it affects both the right and the left side.
Pain attacks can last anywhere from half an hour to 5-7 days.
Tension headache can be episodic or chronic (if seizures occur every two to three days). This form of headache does not involve other symptoms, such as functional disability, nausea or aversion to light (photophobia), which are typically associated with migraine. Furthermore, tension-type headache does not affect the patient's normal daily activities and movement. seems to help alleviate the disorder.
To properly manage this form of headache, potential triggers need to be identified and treated.
Causes and triggers
Tension headache affects up to 75% of the population, with a higher prevalence in females.
The causes of the disorder are not fully known, but most specialists agree that this form of headache depends on an "involuntary and continuous contraction of the muscles of the nape, forehead, temples, neck and The tension headache is in fact more common in people who, for reasons of study or work, tend to assume an incorrect position (more unbalanced forward); this forces the muscles of the neck and head to stiffen more, to find the " ideal balance.
At the origin of this form of headache, however, there could also be more strictly neurological causes, such as alterations in the brain centers that control pain perception and stress tolerance.
The main triggers of tension headache are stressful events, nervous upset, anxiety and depression; for this reason, the condition is often considered a psychosomatic disorder. Not surprisingly, people who find themselves in these situations tend to download the tension accumulated in the shoulders, contracting the muscle bands of the neck and head; this involuntary but continuous effort results in a headache attack.
Furthermore, it should be considered that subjects who are going through a period of psychophysical exhaustion have a lower pain threshold than the average, due to the decrease in the level of endorphins. If the level of these substances is low, even a simple muscle contracture can be felt in a more painful and intense way.
In addition to stress, other triggers for tension headache include:
- Poor postures that favor the continuous tension of the neck muscles;
- Drug abuse, which causes addiction;
- Problems with the jaw joint;
- Hormonal imbalances;
- Alterations in the sleep-wake rhythm.
Symptoms
Tension headache is characterized by pain of mild to moderate intensity, often described as constricting. The headache is persistent and not throbbing.
This form of headache originates in the occipital (nape) or frontal (temples and forehead) region and spreads to the whole head: the disorder manifests itself as a sense of heaviness or a grip that tightens the head, giving rise to the famous "circle" or "fascia".
Unlike migraines, tension headaches are not accompanied by functional disability, nausea or aversion to light (photophobia), and are not aggravated by physical activity, light stimuli, sounds or smells.
Potential triggers for chronic tension-type headache include sleep disturbances, stress, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, asthenopia, and neck pain.
Headache attacks typically begin several hours after waking up and worsen over the course of the day; rarely, patients awaken from sleep.
Chronic forms can vary in intensity throughout the day, but are almost always present.
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