Tension Headaches – Causes, Symptoms and Reliefs

by on December 22, 2009

As you may be aware, one of the most common types of headaches is tension headache. The cause of this type of headache has not been pin-pointed due to the fact that there is more than one cause of it. Hence, the exact cause is yet unknown.

Studies have shown that about 10 million people visit the doctor's office in a year with the complaint of an unbearable headache that slows down their daily routines. It has also been observed that about this type of headaches accounts for about 90% of all the headaches experienced.

What do you do when this occurs? It has been said that the best way to cure your headache would be to massage them away. As soon as you feel that annoying painful headache creeping in, sit yourself down, take a few deep breathes and give yourself time to relax. Don't start popping pills immediately because massages work as well. Start with the area above your ears and around them.

Gently apply pressure to these areas while massaging away your tension headache. Press down on the troubled areas and move your skin in circular motion but take care to do this gently as you do not want to hurt yourself even more.

Also, remember to move your scalp instead of moving your fingers, this helps blood flow and releases the tension. Then, repeat the massage on the side of your temples slowly moving towards the centre. After awhile, move on the back of your neck; pay more attention to the area below your skull as it is one of the tension points. While doing this, do remember to relax and clear your mind.

Massaging tension headaches have been proven to be effective and calming. By giving yourself the time to do so, you also give your body time to relax and chill. Chances are, you often stress up due to work, relationships and whatever else. So while massaging your head, take the time to breathe. Furthermore, another effective technique would be to work your way up.

Instead of starting from the point of pressure, start from your shoulders, when you're tensioned, the muscles in your shoulders would tighten up and get knotted. Start with using your left hand to grab your right shoulder and gently squeeze the large muscle, as you do this; twist it back and forth so that the muscles get to loosen up.

Then, do the same for the next shoulder until you feel the tension slowly fading. Next, massage the muscles that run down your spine, these knotted muscles can contribute to your tension headaches and massaging them is a good way of telling them to behave themselves. Once you're done, work your way up by massaging the tension headache away from the base of your skull. Here, massage in circular motions and keep your head down.

It is always advisable to seek medical consultation if your tension headaches occur on a very frequent basis. But if the pain is not serious, you may consider using traditional remedy such as acupuncture to relieve it.


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