Do you feel like your headaches are getting the better of you? Are they starting to happen so often that you’re at breaking point?
“Recent studies show that the average prevalence of tension headaches are 36% in males and 40% in females. This means that roughly 7 million Australians are likely to have tension type headaches.”
The worst thing with tension type headaches are that they can hit you anytime and anywhere and you may not even expect it. They can then be extremely debilitating and wreck your day!
I honestly believe tension headaches are poorly treated, many times because the mechanism is not clearly understood. As a result, many people just give up and accept them as an everyday part of life. They accept that the only solution is to take pain killers when they arise and wait for them to settle down.
This is no way to live. I don’t accept this as a solution. If you could understand the mechanism and be able to sort it out, would you?
The great news is that I’ve seen a predictable pattern to tension headaches for a long time now and have developed a method that seems to work for many people.
But firstly, it is important to be able to recognise one and make sure that what we are talking about is your headaches.
Tension type headaches are described as pain in your head that can range from mild to moderate and often described as a tight band around your head. These headaches are the most common kind of headache to arise.
Most common symptoms that you would experience with these headaches are the hat band distribution of pain in your head, a dull ache or pressure and you may feel that your skull feels tender to touch. Sometimes tension headaches can lead to migraines if severe enough, but the migraine chat can be for another time.
What causes tension type headaches?
Tension type headaches are believed to be caused, from my experience, are changes to muscle tone around the head and neck. More specifically a muscle in your jaw called your temporalis. This is a muscle that helps clench your teeth together. You can feel it by clenching your teeth together and feeling your skull just above your ears.
Often what happens is we get changes to the tone in muscles around your jaw that can have a direct effect on the brain. A nerve that supplies your jaw muscles call your trigeminal nerve passes right though the jaw joint. When these muscles tighten (due to many reasons) we can irritate this nerve causing major firing of this nerve back into the brain which can often be a trigger for these types of headaches.
These are many reasons that these muscles can get over worked, some of these reasons including stress, anxiety and many more.
After seeing thousands of cases of tension headaches over the years, there’s a pattern that I’ve noticed. Most people who have tension headaches tend to be stuck in a revolving loop of thought with no way out. What do I mean by this?
Well, let’s say you hate your boss, they’re a real piece of work. You want to quit your job, but you know the job market is bad right now. You know going to work means facing him, but resigning means going without an income and possibly losing your house.
There’s no way out. An endless loop occurs with endless thought.
So is there a way out without treatment?
Well, here’s a few things I’ve done with my clients over the years that has helped many get themselves out of trouble:
1. Draw a road map – You don’t need the answer, you just need the plan. If A happens I’ll do X if B happens I’ll do Y.
2. Press on your temporalis muscles either during an episode or even when you’re not having one. If there is any tenderness through that muscles, this can be a sign of muscular tension. Often a gentle massage through this area can create a lot of relief.
3. Feel the muscles just under your skull or the top of your neck. If they are tender, this would be the next place to give a gentle rub.
Tension headaches are real and very common. Simple strategies are often very successful in reducing tension headaches. If you need some advice, just send me a message, or give the team a call on 9318 7758. Always happy to help you.
