Headaches, headaches, headaches!

The headache experience is a very common ailment. According to Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, a headache is pain felt in the forehead, eyes, jaws, temples, scalp, skull, or neck. Detecting the cause of a headache usually is less clear cut, as it is often the symptom of more serious conditions such as meningitis and high blood pressure. Furthermore, there are more than 20+ formal headache diagnoses. Just to name a few, allergic, emotional, menstrual, migraine, orgasmic, post-traumatic, spinal fluid loss, and tension headaches are all diagnoses that have been assigned a special code for health care providers to use in medical billing and administration.

The most common type of headache is called, "Tension Headache," often referred to as "head tension." In fact, 90% of all headaches are Tension Headaches, even though less than 5% of tension headaches have been reported as chronic. Symptoms may include difficulty sleeping, dull pain within the entire head, with more intense pain felt in the temples, necks, back, and shoulders. Tension Headaches usually do not cause nausea and vomiting, unlike Migraine Headaches.

Furthermore, pain from Tension Headaches can spread to the eyes and neck, as well as other muscles throughout the body; triggers can include a variety of factors such as eye strain, alcohol use, teeth grinding & clenching, sinus infections, and excessive smoking. The good news is that there's treatment available! Usually treatment includes pain (analgesic) medications, such as ibuprofen, paracetamol/acetaminophen, and aspirin. More aggressive medications, such as analgesics combined with sedatives, include drugs like Mersyndol, Percogesic, and Fiorinal are also used in treatment of Tension Headaches.

Some things you can do to manage your Tension Headaches that are recommended by medical professionals include hot baths or showers, as well as cold baths or showers. Likewise, stretching neck and back muscles have been reported as effective strategies for relief. As with some other medical conditions, changes in diet in exercise can help provide relief as well. In turn, an increase in exercise can improve your quality of sleep, too.

Speak with your health care provider about your symptoms. Once you are properly diagnosed, effective treatment will hopefully be the next thing on your agenda!

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