Definition

This most common type of headache is caused by
severe muscle contractions triggered by stress or exertion.
It affects as many as 90% of adult Americans.

Description

While most American adults get a tension headache
from time to time, women and people with more education
are slightly more likely to suffer with them. People who
are so anxious that they grind their teeth or hunch their
shoulders may find that the physical strain in their body
can be experienced as pain and tension in the muscles of
the neck and scalp, producing almost constant pain.

Causes and symptoms

Tension headaches are caused by tightening in the
muscles of the face, neck and scalp because of stress or
poor posture. They can last for days or weeks and can
cause pain of varying intensity. The tightening muscles
cause more expansion and constriction of blood vessels,
which can make head pain worse. Eyestrain caused by
dealing with a large amount of paperwork or reading can
cause a tension headache as well.

Many people report tension headache pain as a kind
of steady ache (as opposed to a throb) that forms a tight
band around the forehead, affecting both sides of the
head. Tension headaches usually occur in the front of the
head, although they also may appear at the top or the
back of the skull.

Tension headaches often begin in late afternoon and
can last for several hours; they can occur every day and
last throughout most of the day. When this happens, the
headache is called a chronic tension headache. Unlike
migraines, tension headaches don