Tension Headaches

A frequent cause of tension headaches may surprise you.

According to the National Headache Foundation, 12% of Americans (40 million people) suffer with migraines and tension headaches. While there are many causes of migraines, there is an overlap with tension headaches as to the cause.

For this post we will focus on tension headaches as there is a frequent recurring problem causing the symptoms.

As you've read before in our newsletters, fibrous adhesion in the soft tissues causes a multitude of problems. When neck tissues become stuck with adhesion, it frequently can cause trigger points in surrounding tissues. A trigger point is very different than adhesion. And these distinctions are important so I'll spend a little time discussing the difference.

For starters, trigger points are contracted muscle as a sign that something is wrong or the system is stressed beyond its ability. Think of a smoke alarm.

The alarm goes off letting you know there's smoke in your house. Maybe it's from a fire. Maybe it's from your teenager burning his lunch in the oven. Similarly, trigger points can refer pain in areas of the head away from the actual problem--leaving people wondering where the problem is originating. Either way, you should investigate and not stop simply after the smoke alarm goes off. This is the equivalent of providers treating trigger points without first figuring out what's wrong.

Fibrous adhesion is very different.

Think of it like glue in your tissues--sticking things together that need to move and now they can't. In addition, fibrous adhesion can also stick and trap nerves that travel up the back of our head. That can also greatly contribute to tension headaches. Most doctors call this problem "occipital neuralgia," which is a fancy way of saying the nerves in the back of your head are in pain. Thanks, Sherlock!

So if you or someone you know is struggling with tension headaches or migraines, and they've had little to no lasting relief from other health care providers, then contact us for a consultation.

You deserve a diagnosis and a path forward.