Tension headache

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Brain

Headache

Tension-type headache

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Tension headache

Alternative Names:

Muscle contraction headache; Benign headache; Headache - tension

Symptoms:

Headache
- Dull, pressure-like
- Generalized, worse in the scalp, temples or back of the neck
- Not one-sided
- Feels like a tight band or vise on the head
- Occurs as an isolated incident, or occurs constantly or daily
- Worsened or triggered by stress, fatigue, noise, glare
Difficulty sleeping

Signs and tests:

A headache that is mild to moderate, not accompanied by other symptoms, and which responds to home treatment within a few hours may not need further examination or testing. If a neurologic examination is performed, a tension headache causes no abnormal findings, but musculoskeletal tenderness is often present.

The health care provider should be consulted -- to rule out other disorders that can cause head pain -- if the headache is severe, persistent or if other symptoms accompany the headache.

Headaches that disturb sleep, occur whenever the person is active, or that are recurrent or chronic may also require examination and treatment by a health care provider.

Review Date: 8/1/2004
Reviewed By: Joseph V. Campellone, M.D., Division of Neurology, Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.