Head Aches, Neck Pain and Back Pain

Pressure Points

Your headache may be more than just an episode of muscle contraction.
Chronic occurrences of tension-related pain can mask a serious
underlying emotional problem related to anxiety, stress, depression and
life circumstance.

Like the proverbial albatross, it feels like a weight around your neck that
spreads in bands of steady pain enveloping your whole head. Sometimes the ache and pressure confines itself to one particular spot—the forehead, back of the head or neck, the temples.“The terms ‘muscle contraction’ and ‘tension headaches’ have
been used interchangeably for several years,” notes renowned headache
expert Dr. Seymour Diamond, Chicago-based founder and director of the
Diamond Headache Clinic Research and Educational Foundation, editor of
Headache and Pain magazine and author of Diagnosing and Managing
Headaches, a clinician’s resource book.“Tension-type headaches are recurrent episodes of headache
that can last minutes or days. Physiologically they express themselves
as reflex dilatation of the external cranial vessels and contraction of
the skeletal muscles of the neck, head and face. Pain severity

tends to be mild to moderate in severity and bilateral in location.”Women generally suffer more from tension-type headaches than men, with
episodes typically beginning between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.According to Dr. Diamond, the tension-type headache, which can
migrate to the shoulders, is a manifestation of the body’s response to
stress, anxiety, depression, emotional conflicts, fatigue and repressed
hostility.

Some researchers think there may be a brain-chemical component
that might work in combination with tightened muscles to produce the
tension-type headache—although no one knows which comes first, chemical
interaction or muscle contraction.

Tension headaches appear to show some familial association—if
you have them chances are your siblings do too, although the reason for
the connection remains unresolved.

You can experience tension-type headaches in two
ways—episodically or chronically—the latter occurring at least 15 days
a month for six months.

The occasional tension-type headache often responds well to
over-the-counter pain killers—sometimes, however, a prescription is in
order and will usually do the trick.

Applying a heating pad or ice pack to your shoulder and neck
muscles can be helpful and it makes sense to consistently practice
relaxation therapies such as meditation or undergo massage to relieve
some of the triggers generating muscle contraction.

According to Dr. Diamond, chronic tension-type headaches
frequently reflect an underlying psychological conflict such as anxiety
or depression that may arise from life stresses, occupation, habits,
personality traits, marital, social or sexual problems and the ways in
which we choose to cope with stress.

Chronic tension-type headaches associated with underlying
depression can occur in conjunction with other physical symptoms such
as sleep disturbance, weight loss, fatigue, palpations, decreased
sexual drive, and shortness of breath.

“Patients may also experience emotional and psychic
complaints—guilt, hopelessness, unworthiness, fear of physical disease
or death, poor concentration, low ambition, loss of interest, poor
memory, etc.,” adds Dr. Diamond.

Chronic tension-type headaches may have their origins in a
specific event or occurrence—the death of a loved one, an accident or
illness or divorce.

And all this time you thought it was just a pain in the neck!

Adopting a healthy way of life—regular aerobic activity in
combination with good eating and sleeping habits along with consistent
efforts at stress management, improved posture and increasing
relaxation time may also prove effective in relieving and preventing
tension-type headaches.

Haven’t got time for the pain?

Dr. Diamond suggests the following to relieve episodic tension-type headache pain:

Aspirin
Acetaminophen
Ibuprofen
Naproxen sodium
Ketoprofen
Caffeine in combination with Ibuprofen—the amount of caffeine is equivalent to two large cups of coffee

“Biofeedback has also demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of
chronic, tension-type headaches,” says Dr. Diamond. “Tricyclic
antidepressants and psychological counseling may be indicated in those
patients with severe depression.”

Relief Map:

Results of an Australian double cross-over study conducted by
researcher Charlie Xue, PhD at RMIT University in Bundoora, Victoria,
Australia, suggest that electroacupuncture applied to distal (locations
away from the center of the body) acupoints may be an effective way to
treat tension headaches.

Forty people, mostly women, average age 42, sharing similar baseline
statistics were divided into two groups one receiving real
electroacupuncture applied to distal areas on upper and lower limbs;
the other undergoing a form of simulated treatment.

“Our study demonstrated that EA was effective for patients with TTH measured by pain intensity, frequency etc.,” says Dr. Xue.

“Chronic TTH patients should consider EA as an option.
Initially they should consider having EA twice per week for four weeks,
then consider the treatment again depending on the recurring and
severity of the symptoms. Note that our study demonstrated that there
was significant difference between baseline and end of three months
follow-up for both groups.”