Tension Headache

Headache is a common nervous system disorder with a prevalence of 48.9 %. Tension headache is a primary headache in which it is responsible for the prevalence of 26.5% among other headaches. Contrast to migraine, in tension headache, women are only slightly more affected than male (the female-to-male ratio of TH is 5:4) and the average age of onset (25 to 30 years) is delayed. The peak prevalence occurs between ages 30 to 39 and decreases slightly with age.  A few studies have shown that absenteeism resulting from tension headache can be as high as three times more than that seen in migraine. 

Till today, clinical and neurophysiological studies have not been able to determine the exact cause of tension headache. However, studies have indicated that there are possible factors that may trigger this disorder.

Factors for Tension Headache
1) Deficiency of Vitamin B12
2) Deficiency of Vitamin D
3) Poor posture
4) Poor management of stress
5) Lack of quality sleep

Symptoms of Tension Headache

1)  Lasting from 30 minutes to as long as seven days
2) Minimally two of the following four characteristics:
– pain is found both sides
– pressing or tightening quality
– mild or moderate intensity
– not exacerbated by routine physical activity, eg walking or climbing stairs

Management
The best non-pharmacological therapies for tension headache are physical therapy, biofeedback, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Relaxation, exercise programs, and improvement of posture are critical components of physical therapy. Several other treatments, including massage, manipulation, acupuncture, and osteopathic manipulative medicine, have also shown improvement in both acute and chronic presentations, using measures such as increasing range of motion of the head.

Here at Healthworks, with our skills and experiences, our chiropractors and physiotherapist are equipped to help you with your headache. If there are any question regarding the information of this article, please contact us at myhealthworks.com.my or call/ WhatsApp us at 018 9828539.