Tension headache

Introduction: Tension headache

Tension headache: Tension headache is named not only for the role of stress in triggering the pain, but also for the contraction of neck, face, and scalp muscles brought ... more about Tension headache.

Tension headache: Headache brought on by tension and muscle contraction. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Tension headache is available below.

Symptoms of Tension headache

• Headache - usually tightness affecting entire head on both sides
• Neckache

Medical Textbooks Online about Tension headache

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Tension headache?

• Misdiagnosis of Tension headache

Misdiagnosis and Tension headache

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Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion syndrome and these...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See ...read more »

Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders). For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, ...read more »

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see ...read more »

Rare cases of headache: Headache is one of the common symptoms presenting in general practice. It needs a sound diagnostic and management strategy as the problem can be confusing. The key to diagnosing the condition is...read more »

Subarachnoid hemorrhage mimics migraine: Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs due to spontaneous bleeding in the subarachnoid space. It presents with severe headache usually over the back, vomiting, and neck stiffness and severe...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Tension headache

Causes of Tension headache

Read more about causes of Tension headache.

Treatments for Tension headache

• Aspirin
• Acetaminophen
• Propoxyphene - a stronger medication sometimes used.
• Codeine - a stronger medication sometimes used.

Read more about treatments for Tension headache

Videos for Tension headache

Patient Surveys for Tension headache

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Reseach about Tension headache

Visit our research pages for current research about Tension headache treatments.

Clinical Trials for Tension headache

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Tension headache include:

• Psychological Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Benign Headache - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Gonyautoxin in the Treatment of Chronic Tension-Type Headache - This study has been terminated (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Gonyautoxin
• Prophylactic Effect of Memantine in Chronic Tension-Type Headache - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - memantine
• Cortical Reorganisation in Patients With Primary Headache Disorders - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Headstrong Intervention for Pediatric Headache - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 7 Clinical Trials for Tension headache

Statistics for Tension headache

• Medical statistics for Tension headache
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Tension headache
• Death and Mortality statistics for Tension headache
• Society statistics for Tension headache

Types of Tension headache

• Episodic tension headache - occasional episodes
• Chronic tension headache

Read more about Types of Tension headache

Stories from Users Related to Tension headache

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Tension headache, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Tension headache

Tension headache is named not only for the role of stress in triggering the pain, but also for the contraction of neck, face, and scalp muscles brought on by stressful events. Tension headache is a severe but temporary form of muscle-contraction headache. The pain is mild to moderate and feels like pressure is being applied to the head or neck. The headache usually disappears after the period of stress is over. Ninety percent of all headaches are classified as tension/muscle contraction headaches. (Source: excerpt from Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS)

Definitions of Tension headache:

A common condition characterized by recurrent occipital, temporal, or frontal pressure-like HEADACHE associated with nuchal discomfort. Mid-life onset and bilateral pain are features which tend to distinguish this condition from COMMON MIGRAINE. ANXIETY and DEPRESSION may aggravate this condition. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp182-3) - (Source - Diseases Database)

A headache located at the back of the head; usually caused by body tension resulting from overwork or psychological stress - (Source - WordNet 2.1)