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Tension Headache and Lifestyle components
Tension Headache or Muscle Contraction Headache
Tension headache is very common and is typically experienced as a dull,
non-throbbing pain in the back of the neck or in a "headband" distribution.
1 It may be associated with tender nodules in the neck
called trigger-points, 2 or with tenderness in
the muscles around the head. 3
Lifestyle
Tension-type headaches often occur more frequently and may become more severe
during or following times of mental or emotional stress. 4,
5, 6 Several controlled studies
have found tension headache sufferers to report higher levels of stress,
7, 8, 9 and to
have significantly higher levels of depression or anxiety than those that do not
suffer from headaches. 10, 11,
12 It was also found that headache suffers have
significantly greater levels of suppressed anger, 13
or significantly greater generalized muscle tension
14, 15 than those without headaches. Minimizing
stress and getting enough sleep and regular exercise are often recommended to
people with tension headaches. However, no research has investigated the
effectiveness of these lifestyle changes.
References
- Stevens MB. Tension-type headaches. Am Fam Physician
1993;47:799-806 [review].
- Davidoff RA. Trigger points and myofascial pain: toward
understanding how they affect headaches. Cephalalgia 1998;18:436-48
[review].
- Jensen R. Pathophysiological mechanisms of tension-type
headache: a review of epidemiological and experimental studies. Cephalalgia
1999;19:602-21 [review].
- Rasmussen BK. Migraine and tension-type headache in a
general population: psychosocial factors. Int J Epidemiol
1992;21:1138-43.
- Donias SH, Peioglou-Harmoussi S, Georgiadis G, Manos N.
Differential emotional precipitation of migraine and tension-type headache
attacks. Cephalalgia 1991;11:47-52.
- Wittrock DA, Myers TC. The comparison of individuals
with recurrent tension-type headache and headache-free controls in
physiological response, appraisal, and coping with stressors: a review of the
literature. Ann Behav Med 1998;20:118-34 [review].
- Myers TC, Wittrock DA, Foreman GW. Appraisal of
subjective stress in individuals with tension-type headache: the influence of
baseline measures. J Behav Med 1998;21:469-84.
- DeBenedittis G, Lorenzetti A, Pieri A. The role of
stressful life events in the onset of chronic primary headache. Pain
1990;40:65-75.
- DeBenedittis G, Lorenzetti A. The role of stressful
life events in the persistence of primary headache: major events vs. daily
hassles. Pain 1992;51:35-42.
- Ficek SK, Wittrock DA. Subjective stress and coping in
recurrent tension-type headache. Headache 1995;35:455-60.
- Holroyd KA, Stensland M, Lipchik GL, et al.
Psychosocial correlates and impact of chronic tension-type headaches.
Headache 2000;40:3-16.
- Serrano-Duenas M. Chronic tension-type headache and
depression. Rev Neurol 2000;30:822-6 [in Spanish].
- Hatch JP, Schoenfeld LS, Boutros NN,et al. Anger and
hostility in tension-type headache. Headache 1991;31:302-4.
- Rugh JD, Hatch JP, Moore PJ et al. The effects of
psychological stress on electromyographic activity and negative affect in
ambulatory tension-type headache patients. Headache 1990;30:216-9.
- Hatch JP, Moore PJ, Borcherding S, et al.
Electromyographic and affective responses of episodic tension-type headache
patients and headache-free controls during stressful task performance. J
Behav Med 1992;15:89-112.
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