Tension Type Headaches: Like Having Your Head Stuck In A Vise

Approximately 80% of us will experience a tension headache at least once during our lifetime. Tension type headaches are the most common occurring headache. They can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 7 days. Most people have these headaches rarely, while other people have them every day of their life. People who experience them more than 15 days per month are considered to have chronic headaches. Chronic tension headaches will often persist for many years. Women experience tension headaches more often than men do. Researchers are still looking for the actual cause of tension headaches. In the past these types of headaches were known as muscle contraction headache, psychogenic headache, depressive headache, essential headache and ordinary headache. Some headache specialists feel that tension-type headache is the result of changes in certain chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphins. Neurotransmitter changes are also linked to migraine headaches. It is believed that the change in these neurotransmitters activates the brain's pain pathways, and somehow short-circuits the brain's ability to stop the pain. Many researchers believe that migraine headaches and tension-type headaches are related. Successful treatment of migraine headaches using Neuromuscular principles supports this theory.

There are two classes of tension-type headaches: Episodic and Chronic. Episodic headaches usually occur less than 15 days per month.Lasting a few minute to several hours, episodic headaches are brief in duration. Patients who have more and more frequent episodic headaches are considered to be at higher risk to develop chronic tension-type headaches later in their lives. People who have tension headaches more that 15 days per month are classified as Chronic headache sufferers. These are often people that you meet who have a headache almost every day. Although they are less common than episodic tension-headache, they occur twice as often in women as in men. Chronic tension headaches last about as long as episodic, but occur on a daily basis. Depression and anxiety are believed to be possible causes of chronic tension type headaches. This would make sense since these disorders have been shown to be related to changes in neurotransmitters in the brain. There is still a lot of debate as to whether chronic tension-type headache is actually different from chronic migraines. Both types of headaches are believed to be episodic headaches when the pain pathway of the brain has been overrun, and both show similar signs of changes in the neurotransmitters in the brain. Most people describe these tension types of headaches as a feeling of tightness, pressure, or band-like constriction around the head. They can also cause pain in the back of the neck at the base of the skull. In the most extreme form, tension headaches may feel like a hooded cape has been clamped down over the head and shoulders. The pain is usually mild to moderate in intensity. This will obviously vary from person to person. Many people find that these headaches occur when they first awaken in the morning or towards the head of the day when they have experienced a lot of stress at work or at home. Some tension headache sufferers will also experience pain in the jaw or ears. Other symptoms can include: tenderness in the scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating. Tension headaches are not usually accompanied by visual disturbances, like migraines. Sufferers don't usually experience symptoms such as vomiting, nausea or auras. Unlike migraines, exercise does not make tension headache pain worse.

There are a number of possible triggers for tension-type headaches including: depression and anxiety, lack of sleep, stress, hypoglycemia, lack of exercise, medications for illness such as high blood pressure or depression, and overuse of headache medication. Grinding and clenching of the teeth are briefly mentioned in the literature of headache studies. This occurs a lot more frequently than originally thought. In addition, it lead us to further questions about the relationship of the TMJ (jaw joint), teeth and muscles of the head and neck and their impact upon headache pain. New developments in headache treatment using neuromuscular dentistry have had very good success.


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A distinctive approach to the treatment of Headaches using Neuromuscular dentistry. Botox is a temporary fix, Neuromuscular dentistry is a long term headache solution.