EXPLAINER: What’s a tension headache and why is it strongly linked to stress?
Bettinna Carlos recently talked about experiencing severe headache due to intense stress, which made her end up in the hospital and think it was “going to be [her] last Mother’s Day.”
“I didn’t know so much stress could actually lead to this kind of headache called a tension headache,” she wrote in an Instagram post, sharing that she had to go to the emergency room twice in 12 hours.
“My head never hurt like this my whole life!” she continued.
The former TV host shared that she's thinking of better ways to respond to stress moving forward.
"How can it not get to me so much that it brings me to this point? How should I change the way I view something as 'stress' that I may respond to it better? How do I relaaaaax?" she mused. "Such a painful way to learn but God knows how I'd best learn."
What’s a tension headache?
Dr. Greg David Dayrit, a consultant and neurologist at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City, told PhilSTAR L!fe that a tension headache is the most common type of primary headache disorder.
“It’s characterized by mild to moderate band-like pain feeling around the head,” he said.
According to Dayrit, someone who has it may experience dull, aching head pain; a feeling of tightness or pressure across the forehead or on the sides and back of the head; and tenderness in the scalp, neck, and shoulder muscles.
“Tension headache is diagnosed clinically based on the description of the individual with headache,” said Dayrit. “The physical exam is expected to be normal except for pericranial tenderness on palpation on some patients.”
How is it different from migraine? “Unlike migraine, a tension headache doesn’t have warning signs. It has no predromal manifestations and no aura,” he explained.
Tension headache and stress
According to Dayrit, tension headache is related to and is often triggered by muscle tension, poor posture, eye strain due to prolonged computer usage, fatigue, and certain dietary factors.
The condition, however, is also strongly linked to stress.
“This is because stress triggers the main problem causing tension headaches, wherein neck and scalp muscles become tense and involuntarily contract,” Dayrit explained, adding that such is a “response of the body to the stressful situation.”
Dayrit said that the prevention and treatment of tension headache include stress management and other forms of relaxation techniques.
There are also medications such as paracetamol or NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, and analgesic/sedative combinations. Other options include physical therapy, myofascial trigger point treatment, and even acupuncture therapy.
Apart from stress management, Dayrit said that tension headache can be avoided by having proper posture. “Drinking enough water and avoiding dehydration also helps in preventing it,” he added.