Causes and treatment of tension headaches

1 Etiology of the disease

This disease can cause mental stress, provoked by chronic stress.

With the timely switching of attention or the manifestation of positive emotions, the intensity of the headaches becomes lower, down to the point that they can completely disappear.

Also, pain can occur when the same muscles tend to strain for a long period of time. In most cases, it is associated with a particular profession, or an uncomfortable position during sleep. The stress of cervical and ocular muscles is important in the mechanism of the development of pain. At the same time, the blood vessels are squeezed, and the blood flow is reduced. As a result, oxygen deficiency appears, and toxic substances that cause headache accumulate. It can intensify under stressful situations, changes in weather conditions, work indoors or at night, as well as the reception of alcoholic beverages.

Headache of this kind can become chronic with prolonged and uncontrolled intake of pain medication. In order to get rid of it you need to completely cancel the use of drugs that caused pain.

2 Symptoms and types of pain

• duration from half an hour to a week;
• does not depend on physical activity intensity of pain;
• pain pressing, as if squeezing the head with a hoop, and not pulsing;
• in the eyes there is pressure;
• strained neck muscles and there is a burning sensation in the nape, shoulders or neck;
• apathy;
• no nausea and vomiting;
• pain increases during emotional stress;
• feels stiffness of the head;
• with relaxation and the emergence of positive emotions, the pain becomes weaker or even disappears.

Types of tension headaches:

• Episodic, which is often called "normal" or "normal".It occurs no more than fifteen days in a month;
• Chronic. It appears more than fifteen days a month, and in certain cases does not go away completely, but only becomes less intense after taking appropriate medicines. Such pain can affect the person's ability to work, and point to more serious pathologies. For the correct diagnosis, MRI, rheoencephalography, EEG and a comprehensive neurologic examination are performed.

3 Treatment measures

• psychotherapy, hypnosis, auto-training. They will help get rid of depression, and will help to cope with stress, which can cause pain;
• exercise therapy and yoga. Help to relieve physical tension and find peace.

Several medicines can be used for medical treatment:

1. Centralized muscle relaxants: midocalam, sirdalut, tolperisone, tyzalud. These are drugs that reduce the tone of skeletal muscles and reduce the tension headache and its symptoms.
2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: nurofen, nise, ketones, ketorol, ibufen, nylid, tilfen, diclofenac, rheumoxicam. These are drugs with a pronounced analgesic effect.
3. Campaign benzodiazepine: gidazepam, grandaxin, diazepam, phenazepam. Tranquilizers, affecting the nervous system, and helping in the fight against stress.
4. Antidepressants: amitriptyline, deprim, coaxil, fluoxetine, cipralex. Used for depressive states and sleep disorders, against a backdrop of chronic diseases.
5. Also effective are the combined medications, which include an analgesic and antispasmodic: combis, spazgan, spasmalgon, diclopar.

4 Preventive measures

• compliance with the daily routine;
• relaxing bath or contrast shower. Help relieve muscle tension, and also cause positive emotions;
• relaxing body massage.

Do not abuse the pain medication.

If the headache does not go away within a week and prevents you from doing the usual things, accompanied by fever, or unusual manifestations, such as visual impairment, thinking disorder or speech, you should immediately seek medical help.

Also, a visit to the doctor should not be postponed if the sedentary neck becomes ineffectual, and even the slightest movement provokes pain, or there is vomiting without nausea.