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Definition: Tension Headache |
Tension HeadacheNoun1. A headache located at the back of the head; usually caused by body tension resulting from overwork or psychological stress. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Often the best treatment for a mild tension headache that does not impair a person's ability to function is simple endurance. Many tension headache sufferers receive relief from sleep.
Frequency and duration:
Tension headaches can be episodic or chronic. Episodic tension headaches are defined as tension headaches occurring less than 15 times a month, whereas chronic tension headaches occur 15 times or more a month for at least 6 months. Tension headaches can last from minutes to days or even months, though a typical tension headache lasts 4-6 hours.Pain:
Tension headache pain is often described as a constant pressure, as if the head were being squeezed in a vise. The pain is frequently bilateral which means it is present on both sides of the head at once. Tension headache pain is typically mild to moderate, but may be severe. In contrast to migraine, the pain does not increase during exercise.Cause
The exact cause of tension headaches is still unknown. It has long been believed that they are caused by muscle tension around the head and neck. However although muscle tension may be involved, there are many forms of tension headaches and some scientist now believe there is not one single cause for this type of headache. One of the theories is that the pain may be caused by a malfunctioning pain filter which is located in the brain stem. The view is that the brain misinterprets information, for example from the temporal muscle or other muscles, and interprets this signal as pain. One of the main molecules which is probably involved is serotonin. Evidence for this theorie comes from the fact that tension headaches may be succesfully treated with certain antidepressants. Another theory says that the main cause for tension type headaches and migraine is teeth clenching which causes a chronic contraction of the temporalis muscle.Treatment:
Episodic tension headaches generally respond well to over-the-counter analgestics, such as acetaminophen or aspirin. However, these medications should be avoided in cases of chronic tension headache, due to the risk of rebound headaches. Chronic tension headaches are more difficult to treat. Suggested therapies include:
Tension headaches are exacerbated by states or activities that induce muscle tension, such as stress. Avoiding such states can lessen the frequency of tension headaches. Tension headaches can also be secondary to other conditions, such as an upper respiratory infection or other virus.Prognosis:
Tension headaches that do not occur as a symptom of another condition are painful and annoying, but not harmful. It is usually possible to receive relief from treatment. Tension headaches that occur as a symptom of another condition are usually relieved when the underlying condition is treated.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Tension headache."
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Tension headache is a severe but temporary form of muscle-contraction headache. (references) | |
Your teeth clench, your brow wrinkles, and soon you have a splitting tension headache. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
tension headache | 272 |
tension headache symptom | 18 |
chronic tension headache | 12 |
muscle tension headache | 9 |
tension headache treatment | 6 |
tension headache relief | 5 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "tension headache"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||
Danish | tensionshovedpine, stress hovedpine (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), spændingshovedpine (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), psykomyogen hovedpine (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), cephalalgia psychomyogenica (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), almindelig hovedpine (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
Dutch | spanningshoofdpijn (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
Finnish | lihasjännityspäänsärky (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), jännityspäänsärky (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
French | céphalée tensive, céphalée de tension (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
German | Tensionskopfschmerz, tension headache. (various references) | ||||||||||
Greek | κεφαλαλγία τάσης (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
Italian | cefalea tensiva, cefalea muscolotensiva (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), cefalea da tensione (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
Pig Latin | ensiontay eadachehay dolor de cabeza (cephalea, headache, migraine), cefalea tensional (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia), cefalea de tensión (tension cephalagia, tension cephalgia). (various references) | ||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | cephalalgia psychomyogenica. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-c-d-e-e-e-h-h-i-n-n-o-s-t" | |
-4 letters: headachiest, stanchioned. | |
-5 letters: anhedonias, condensate, diaconates, disenchant, endothecia, ensheathed, insheathed, sanctioned, tendencies. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)54 65 6E 73 69 6F 6E 48 65 61 64 61 63 68 65 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010100 01100101 01101110 01110011 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01001000 01100101 01100001 01100100 01100001 01100011 01101000 01100101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)T e n s i o n   H e a d a c h e |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0054 0065 006E 0073 0069 006F 006E 0048 0065 0061 0064 0061 0063 0068 0065 |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)5471808575818024271677067697471 |
| 1. Definition 2. Images: Slideshow 3. Quotations: Non-fiction 4. Expressions: Internet | 5. Translations: Modern 6. Translations: Ancient 7. Anagrams 8. Orthography | 9. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
