It starts in the back of your head and slowly begins to move forward. It feels like an enormous pressure, like a rubber band wrapped around your head. Your neck, shoulders and upper back ache. If you have experienced this feeling, you have experienced a tension headache.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over 40 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches. A headache is considered chronic when it occurs two or more times weekly for several months or longer. Most chronic headaches are tension headaches.
When the muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp, and jaw tense up, the fascia in your head is pulled tight. Fascia is a thin, fibrous connective tissue that connects and encloses muscles and internal organs. The pulling tight of the fascia is what causes the feeling of pressure in your head. Tension headaches are characterized by a dull ache, not the throbbing sensation associated with other headaches.
Tension headaches are usually caused by stress and overwork. The more stressful your life, the more likely you are to get a tension headache. Many people store their stress in their neck and shoulder muscles. Once these muscles begin to tighten, they can set off the chain reaction that leads to a tension headache.
One way to reduce the risk of getting a tension headache is to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Massage can help reduce tension headaches by relaxing the mind and body. A deep tissue massage, including myofascial release techniques, can loosen the muscles in the head, neck and shoulders, also causing the fascia to release. Massage helps significantly reduce the frequency and duration of tension headaches. Massage coupled with stretching exercises for the neck and shoulders help reduce tension headaches even more.
Tension headaches are a painful problem for many. This problem can be reduced with the right treatment and therapies.
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
Loading ...
To be notified by email when there are new blog entries, 
One Trackback
[...] to completely move in circles. Just do what you can. Stiff shoulders can often lead to tension headaches. It’s good to take and release a deep breath before you move your shoulders. Often, my [...]