Tensor headache is a spasm of the facial or occipital muscles, accompanied by swelling and impaired blood flow. As you know, the bloodstream carries oxygen and useful trace elements that ensure the normal functioning of the brain. If a muscle spasm caused by a tensor headache lasts 3-4 days or more, then the brain begins to experience a deficiency of oxygen and other substances, which negatively affects its work.
All this is accompanied not only by constant pain of varying intensity, but also by other unpleasant manifestations, such as nausea, dizziness, and even loss of consciousness. Thus, the question of tensor headache, what this means, is very important, and everyone should know how to properly treat this condition.
Causes of pain
Tensor headache begins with severe nervous or mental stress. And such a state can cause any unpleasant event at work and at home. For someone, stressful is moving to a new place of residence or repairing an apartment. And for another person, a career is important, he is hurt by a conflict at work or dismissal in general.
Often the cause of a tensor headache is an emotional trauma associated with the death of a relative or friend. Or it can be parting with a lover or a quarrel with him.
Weakness, headache, may result from lack of sleep caused by an uncomfortable pillow or bed, agitation on the eve of an important event, and so on.
And the harder the thoughts and situations, the longer a person suffers pain. Thus, it becomes more and more powerful.
Physical discomfort can also cause headache symptoms: heaviness in the back of the head and face, numbness of the cheeks and swelling of the eyelids. This can be caused by a power failure, food poisoning, loud noise or bright light. That is why it is recommended to sleep in the dark and in silence.
Symptoms of tensor headaches
It should be understood that this type of disease is unique. Therefore, what is a tensor headache, the symptoms that accompany it are studied to this day.
It has now been established that pain is chronic. Such an attack lasts up to 2 months. But most often it takes 30-60 minutes.
There is a spasm for no noticeable reason. It manifests itself as a pulsation in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Sometimes the pain is felt like a steel hoop worn on the forehead.
A person becomes distracted, depressed from pain, his mood deteriorates. He begins to annoy loud noise, music, laughter, bright light, he feels tired, although he could rest or just sleep before.
Under the influence of pain, a person’s thoughts get confused, his consciousness becomes fogged. Having felt one or more of these symptoms, you need to not only take measures to relieve pain and spasm, but also to identify the cause of its occurrence. Then the treatment will not consist in suppressing the symptoms, but in eliminating the cause of the appearance of the pathology.
Diagnosis of the origin of tensor pain
In order to prescribe an effective treatment, the doctor needs to find out the origin of tensor pain. For this, the patient undergoes a series of instrumental and laboratory studies. Computed tomography of the cervical spine allows you to confirm or refute osteochondrosis, which causes pain in the neck and back of the head. If it is not possible to use CT, then the more common method is applied - radiography.
Magnetic resonance imaging determines the presence of blood clots or spasms in the vessels of the brain, which has its own special treatment.
To get a complete picture, the patient can be sent for angiography - the study of cerebral vessels using special equipment and the introduction of radioactive barium into the blood. In general, the treatment of headaches is prescribed by a neurologist based on the studies.
First aid for tensor pain
A person suffering from this disease knows perfectly well which headaches are stronger. Those that he experiences often deprive him of his will and desire to live. And if a mild depression or a bad mood led to the attack, everything can turn into a nervous breakdown. Therefore, it is very important to suppress the first manifestations of a headache. To do this, you can take the usual drug in the required dose. But it’s best to calm down, lie down under an open window with fresh air, turn out the lights and turn off the sound source.
You can take a hot bath with flavors, foam and sea salt. This measure will not only relieve spasm of the neck muscles, but also calm the nerves, restore good mood and good spirits. This method of treatment can be turned into prevention by taking a bath after a hard and nervous working day.
Medication for tensor pain
Any medication should be prescribed by a doctor. If the seizures become regular, then in this case you need to take only those drugs that were previously prescribed by a specialist.
First of all, it is necessary to relieve pain. For this, Aspirin, Analgin, Citromon, Paracetamol, in the dosage indicated by the doctor, are taken. These drugs have strong side effects, and this must be taken into account when taking them uncontrollably.
A severe neck headache is treated with Ultramol, Baralgin or No-Shpo. In this case, muscle spasm is relieved. A severe occipital headache, caused by vasospasm, is treated with painkillers such as Pentalgin or Baralgin.
Further, the cause of the headache itself is eliminated. If it was chronic stress and nervous tension, then the patient takes a course of treatment with antidepressants, for example, “Fluoxetine” or “Sertraline”. A psychotherapist should write them out; you cannot buy them at a pharmacy without a prescription.
The named drug therapy is contraindicated in pregnant women and nursing mothers, in this case, doctors are looking for alternative methods of treatment.
Traditional medicine
You can relieve the attack of tensor headache with hot tea with the addition of various medicinal plants or honey. Of great importance is not only which herbs were added to the tea, but the tea ceremony itself. She does not suffer fuss, in the process of making tea, making dishes and surroundings for tea drinking, a person calms the nerves. And if tea drinking occurs in a pleasant company, then stress and depression leave the person, and, accordingly, the headache also disappears.
In tea, you can add mint, chamomile, propolis, honey, lemon, raspberry or currant leaf. Everything to taste. These plants help not only the nervous system, but also have a beneficial effect on human digestion.
Gymnastics
Since a spasm in the neck is usually the result of a person being in one position for a long time, for example, at the wheel of a car or at a computer, the treatment of headache consists in conducting therapeutic exercises.
To do this, you need to sit upright, straighten your back, put your hands on your knees and do some exercises:
- Lower your head and try to touch your chest with your chin, stay in that state for a few seconds. Then raise the chin up as far as possible, reaching the back for a few seconds with the back of the head. Such inclinations need to be carried out 5-10 times in each direction.
- The following exercise repeats the first, only the head tilts first to the right, then to the left, while the ear goes down as far as possible to the shoulder. The shoulders are motionless and lowered. You need to repeat the exercise 5-10 times in each direction.
- Rotation. The head rotates slowly 5 times clockwise and 5 times counterclockwise.
- Hands need to rest against the back of the head and press hard on them, while your hands do not allow your head to lean back. So you need to strain the muscles for 5-10 seconds. Then transfer the hands to the forehead and do the exercise with tension repeatedly, but this time, pressing the forehead on the hands.
Gymnastics should be done at least 3 times during the working day. It takes a little time, from the force of 10-15 minutes. But it will help relieve a headache caused by a stationary position.
Physiotherapy
In some cases, a physiotherapeutic treatment helps a person well. It is prescribed by a doctor according to the results of diagnosing the causes of pain. It is carried out in specialized clinics and health centers.
Usually this is electrophoresis, a paraffin bath on the neck, magnetotherapy. A prerequisite for such treatment is its continuity. The course cannot be stopped and shortened, otherwise the therapy will be ineffective.
Prevention
In order to prevent the appearance of tensor headaches in your life, you should try to avoid the causes of its occurrence. To do this, you must:
- Eat properly and fully. The cause of the headache is a strict vegetarian diet, a mono-diet, a Frutorian diet, in short, a gross violation of the usual and complete diet. No extremes needed. It is necessary to monitor your nutrition, but you also need to understand that the body needs a variety of substances, including animal protein. You just need to avoid truly unhealthy foods: fried fatty meat, foods with preservatives and artificial colors, drinks with lots of sugar, and rich pastries. And the main enemy of health is alcohol.
- It is necessary to develop a habit of playing sports. Even if it’s just a daily jog or walk. The main thing is to exercise regularly. This will not only increase stress resistance, but also strengthen the body’s immune system.
- In order not to miss the beginning of any pathology in the body, it is necessary to undergo a complete medical examination at least 2 times a year. With the study of the work of internal organs using ultrasound and checking for the presence of parasites in the body.
Conclusion
Tensor headache can be a source of many problems. It does not allow a person to fully live and think. In any case, you need a specialist consultation, because only a qualified doctor can find the true cause and eliminate it.