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Chronic tension headaches are headaches that occur at least 15 days a month and are persistent. The cause of chronic tension headaches is often unclear. The medication amitriptyline can help prevent headaches from occurring.1. What is a chronic tension headache?
Chronic tension headache is a headache that occurs at least 15 days per month and lasts for at least 2 months, causing fatigue and depression. Tension headaches are a common type of headache that most people experience throughout their lives.
The prevalence of chronic tension headaches is unknown, but some studies have estimated that about one in 30 adults have persistent tension headaches – that is, they have headaches more than half of the days in a row. three months. However, some patients actually suffer from drug abuse headaches. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the number of infected people.
Chronic means persistent, but does not mean severe. The severity of headaches can vary from mild to severe. However, because of the persistent nature of chronic headaches, the condition is often uncomfortable and forces most patients to take preventive medication.
2. Causes of Chronic Tension Headaches
By definition, tension headaches are not caused by another medical condition. This condition tends to develop in people who frequently have severe tension headaches, the frequency of which increases until the pain occurs most days. However, the cause of chronic tension headaches is not always clear, it can be caused by:
Muscle tension in the back of the head and neck Tension , stress Fatigue Fatigue Hunger Eyestrain Many tension headaches Chronic development for no apparent reason. Working long hours at a computer can also trigger pain.
Some people also experience persistent tension headaches when:
Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol Not drinking enough water Fasting for too long makes the body tired and hungry. Sometimes, severe tension headaches can be caused by poor eyesight, especially if reading in low light for long periods of time. Some pain can be triggered by environmental discomforts such as heat, cold, light, or wind.
There are studies showing that genetic makeup is also a factor. This means that some people tend to be more prone to chronic headaches than others when stressed or anxious. Of note, multiple drug abuse headaches can be similar to chronic tension headaches. This condition is caused by taking pain relievers (or triptans) too often, leading to persistent tension headaches or migraine attacks.
Tình trạng mệt mỏi cũng gây đau đầu mãn tính
3. Treatments for persistent tension headaches
3.1. Pain relievers You may be used to taking pain relievers like paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. However, it is important not to take pain relievers when you have headaches for many days in a row. Specifically, do not take the drug continuously for more than 2 days to treat a headache. If you take the medication regularly, you may have a drug abuse headache. Do not take pain relievers to stop the headache, but only take it every day when the pain occurs. However, you can spare pain relievers for particularly stressful days or times.
3.2. Journaling Journaling can be helpful if you suffer from frequent headaches. Record the time, location, and severity of each headache. Try to find out what triggers the pain to avoid. For example hunger, eyestrain, wrong posture, stress, anger, etc.
3.3. Reducing stress and depression Stress is what causes some people to develop chronic headaches. So try to avoid stressful situations at work and at home, or learn to deal with stress and relax. Breathing and relaxation exercises can reduce anxiety in stressful situations and prevent headaches from occurring. Several books and apps will teach you how to relax. Sometimes a counselor or psychologist is also needed.
3.4. Exercise Regularly Many people with chronic headaches say that the pain will be reduced with regular exercise. If you don't exercise much, you should try some activities like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, etc. Physical activity will also bring many other health benefits, including:
Exercise helps reduce stress as well as relieves persistent tension headaches. Furthermore, exercise strengthens your core and upper back (core muscles), thereby improving posture. You'll be less likely to stoop when sitting and put less pressure on your upper back and neck. Physical activity also has the effect of increasing heart rate, breathing rate and blood flow around the upper body, thereby improving oxygen delivery to the muscles in general. 3.5. Physical therapy Physical therapy can help relieve chronic tension headaches with relaxation techniques and breathing exercises. This method also aids in detecting and changing bad posture habits that contribute to headaches. The patient must work closely with the specialist and perform the exercises regularly to see improvement.
3.6. The preventive medication Amitriptyline is a medication commonly used to treat chronic tension headaches. This is an antidepressant and you must take it daily to prevent multiple headaches. Some antidepressants work to ease pain and prevent headaches even in people who aren't depressed. So, although amitriptyline is classified as an antidepressant, in this case it is not used to treat depression.
It is best in the case of chronic headaches and the application of life changes does not bring positive results, you should go to the hospital to be checked, in order to have specific evaluation from the doctors. specialist doctor.
Uống thuốc là cách phổ biến nhất điều trị tình trạng đau đầu
Department of Neurology - Vinmec International General Hospital belongs to the clinical medicine block, holding specialized functions in the examination and treatment of diseases related to the central nervous system (cranial, meningeal, brain) brain, blood vessels, nerves in the skull, pituitary gland, spine, discs, spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord). Therefore, the department always receives and handles all problems related to headaches in particular and neurological diseases in general.
Medical quality and patient care services at the hospital are always appreciated when converging a team of experienced doctors and experts from many major hospitals across the country. Medical equipment is of high quality and meets professional standards. Therefore, customers can feel secure when choosing to visit and treat at Vinmec.
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Reference source: patient.info
