Head and Neck Tension Headaches are one of the Most Common Headaches

Head and neck tension headaches are a common ailment of daily life, and have many causes. While there are some head and neck tension headaches that are difficult to treat, like migraines, there are others that are much simpler to treat. If your head and neck tension headache is easily treatable, there is absolutely no reason to be miserable.

One of the most common types of head and neck tension headaches is known as the “head and neck tension headache”. It is caused by excessive tension in the muscles in the neck and the head, hence the name head and neck tension headaches.

Head and Neck Tension Headaches are one of the Most Common Headaches

People of all ages can be vulnerable to this type of head and neck tension headaches. Unlike other sorts of head and neck tension headaches, this type of head and neck tension headaches can strike people of all types, no matter where they are. However, they can be exacerbated by muscle stressors, such as drinking alcohol or consuming foods with caffeine.

What does cause this head and neck tension headache is simple: muscular exhaustion. If your brow is furrowed for a long time, the muscles that do that will get tired and hurt. If you cradle the phone between your shoulder and your ear while working on something else, the muscles that do that will get tired and hurt. Those muscles aren’t always activated by a conscious thought, but using them for long periods of time will cause them to ache, resulting in a head and neck tension headache. Anything else that stresses the muscles- such things as eye strain, smoke, infections, colds, the flu- can also lead to a head and neck tension headache.

The obvious question, of course, is how one tells if one has head and neck tension headaches, as opposed to a headache brought about by other causes. They generally feel as if there is a dull pressure on the head or muscle in question, and tend to feel painful all over the head. Unlike several other types of headaches, they do tend to develop rather gradually, rather than sneaking up on you or giving you a distinct warning sign.

Head and Neck Tension Headaches are one of the Most Common Headaches

The next most obvious question then becomes if one does in fact have a head and neck tension headache, what can one do about it in order to fix it and make one feel better? In this case, the answer depends on the cause of the headache. Many head and neck tension headaches are caused by stress and repetitive motion, and those can be made less painful by consciously thinking about relaxing those muscles. Another good temporary way to make head and neck tension headaches less painful is massaging those muscles to try to redistribute the waste products so that they can be eliminated more efficiently. Another way to decrease the pain is to specifically warm up those muscles to increase blood flow to those areas. One example of this might be to put a heat pack on the area in question.

If head and neck tension headaches come about as the result of drinking a little too much the night before, there is little one can do about it at this point besides get hydrated and rest. If it comes about as the result of being in an overly cold room, the only solution is to warm up or wear more layers of clothing. However, many head and neck tension headaches are easily treated.

In short, the very common head and neck tension headaches have a variety of sources, most commonly excessive muscle stress. If head and neck tension headaches in question are due to muscular stress, there are many simple steps to take that will reduce the pain and the likelihood that head and neck tension headaches will recur. If not, it may be time to consider your dietary intake and how to make your surroundings more comfortable. Get out of head and neck tension headaches pain today, Call 801-747-2886 for a FREE head and neck tension headaches phone consultation with your chiropractor at Utah Injury Clinic!