There’s nothing worse than kills your temper and slays your strength to do your daily tasks than a headache, specifically, a tension headache. 

Common headaches are considered as tension headaches. These tend to occur frequently, especially if you are under much tension. Although they aren’t usually a sign of a serious health condition, they can be very excruciating and difficult to deal with.

Health experts don’t exactly know what causes tension headaches. Some medical researchers suspected that tension in the muscles of the neck, face, and head does matter. In these times, they believe that a shift in brain chemicals may be one significant cause.

Some may experience tension headaches for just once or twice a year, while others may have recurrent or even regular attacks. When left untreated, it can persist for days or weeks without alleviation. However, most people can keep their daily routine despite the discomfort. Tension headaches can spark off by some factors such as muscle strain, stress, hunger, and depression. Tension headaches may come on suddenly or slowly. Some specific symptoms include:

  • constant headache on both sides of your head;
  • gripping pressure in head; and
  • striking pain at the temples or back of the head and neck.

Most doctors may require a physical examination in order to diagnose tension headaches. It involves pressing the muscles of the head, neck, and back to assess for the soreness. One characteristic of this type of headache is tenderness, and that is the most popular irregular finding on clinical examination. Although blood, urine, or other special tests are unnecessary to identify this type of headache, they are carried out if doctors suspect that another underlying condition is causing the headache.

An in home massage therapy is known to alleviate tension headaches by loosening tight head, neck, and shoulder muscles through stretching exercises of the trigger points. It applies sustained pressure to those sensitive painful areas of the muscles. This helps increase blood flow to the spot allowing essential nutrients to loosen up the muscle fibers such as the benefits given by sports and manual physical therapies.

A regular massage therapy session does not only aid the muscles to relax, but also effectively alleviate mental stress that can cause and worsen headaches. However, if the symptoms persist, see your local doctor or go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department. 

Do you want to take a load off your mind from a tension headache? Consult a massage practitioner today and start the right therapy program for you.