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Therapy for Chronic Tension Headaches

It starts as a dull ache in the back of the head. Slowly it moves forward, encompassing both sides of your skull. In their most severe form, chronic tension headaches can be debilitating. A tight band of pressure that wraps around the head, chronic tension headaches, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, affect nearly 40 percent of teenagers and adults. But there are therapies that can help you cope with the affliction.

  1. Journaling

    • Surprisingly, one of the best ways to deal with chronic tension headaches is to write about them. Keeping a diary of when you have headaches may lead you to a cause. Knowing what you ate, how long you slept, whether you had a particular stress and what you were involved with in the preceding 24 hours might help to finger the point of the headache over time.

    Healthy Habits

    • Some things that will help with chronic tension headaches can also be good for your overall health. Things like getting a good night's sleep, eating healthy food that's low in fat and carbohydrates, exercising, not smoking and having an outlet for stress relief all can be effective in treating the return of headaches.

    OTC Medications

    • Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, acetaminophen and aspirin will take away some of the pain associated with chronic tension headaches. They do this by relaxing muscles in your head and neck that may be causing the pain. By bringing down any tightness or inflammation in these areas, you can slowly get through a chronic tension headache.

    Doctor-Prescribed Medication

    • For some, chronic tension headaches are too powerful for typical therapies to work. For these cases, doctors may prescribe Tylenol with Codeine or Vicodin to help ease the symptoms of the headache. Several drugs can also be taken that will help prevent them in the future including tricylic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and anticonvulsants.

    Massage and Physical Therapy

    • Massage is a great way to relax the muscles and can help relieve muscle stress and the pain of chronic tension headaches. A good physical therapist can not only show you certain types of finger massage that you can do on your own, they can also show you stretching and strengthening exercises that can be helpful in dealing with the problem.

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