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(718) 998-9899© 2025 Neuro Injury Specialists
We accept most insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, checks, cash, credit cards, and Care Credit Financing.
(718) 998-9899© 2025 Neuro Injury Specialists
Table of contents
A tension headache, sometimes referred to as a stress headache, is pain that’s mild to moderate and most likely feels like a band-like tightness or pressure centered in the head or neck. Typically labeled as tension-type headaches (TTH), they are also called muscle contraction headaches or psychomyogenic headaches.
One episode may last just half an hour or off and on for as long as seven days. Tension-type headaches don’t get worse with light activity. Most people can go about their daily routines. Even though TTH is the most common headache disorder, the reasons they occur are not fully understood. The source of your pesky headache pain could be any kind of internal or external stress stemming from family, work or social commitments.
Evidence also shows links to factors, such as:
Research also shows that women experience TTH more often than men. Fortunately, there’s tension headache treatment available for most types with the help of a trained specialist. The solution is typically a balance of medicines and non-medicine treatments. A headache experts like Dr. Mark Cohen and Dr. Dmitriy Dvoskin at Neuro Injury Specialists in the New York City and New Jersey areas has all the up-to-date treatment for tension headaches to deliver the relief you need.
More than 150 different types of headaches exist, and the tension-type headaches are divided into two different categories.
In the 1980s, the International Headache Society recognized these classifications as:
Whether your tension headache is episodic or chronic determines which headache tension treatment to pursue. Your doctor helps you sort out the best course of action to tackle the pain.
The symptoms of a stress or tension headache vary from person to person.
Typical signs that you need to find the best treatment for tension headaches include:
Your symptoms can set in for just a half hour or last as long as a whole week. Sometimes tension headaches are difficult to distinguish from migraines, another common type of headache disorder.
Your pain is most likely a migraine headache if you experience:
Both migraines and tension-type headaches are considered primary headaches, which means they’re not a symptom of other underlying, more serious medical conditions. Once the appropriate diagnosis is reached, a variety of tension headache treatments are available to alleviate the pain.
Diagnosing a tension headache begins with an evaluation by your doctor. Keep a log of symptoms to give your doctor a picture of your headache history.
Factors that may be useful include details about:
If the headache cause or trigger is discovered quickly, no further treatment may be needed. You avoid future headaches by avoiding or eliminating the trigger. This is typically true with things like strong scents, problematic foods or poor posture.
If you get mild headaches that occur now and then, your doctor at Neuro Injury Specialists may recommend steps to manage them at home with self-care headache tension treatment that may include:
The tension headache treatment that works best for you often includes a combination of therapies. It may also depend on your situation and your preferences. Non-drug treatments are one approach to manage or eliminate tension headaches.
These typically incorporate behavioral, manual or technological procedures such as:
Pharmacological treatments are another effective method and include over-the-counter medications and prescriptions.
These may include Botox or:
Most people use a combination of strategies to manage their tension headaches. Work closely with your doctor to find the most effective course of treatment for your condition.
Getting headaches on a regular basis isn’t normal and should always be evaluated by a headache doctor who specializes in treating all types of headaches. In most instances, headaches are not dangerous, but sometimes they are a sign of a condition that requires immediate attention.
Make an appointment sooner rather than later to ensure you don’t have a dangerous, underlying condition if:
Whatever path your pain takes you on, a trained headache professional knows how to lead you back toward relief. If you live in the New York City area, contact Dr. Dvoskin and Dr. Cohen at Neuro Injury Specialists. His expertise in tension headache treatments restores you to a healthy, headache-free life.
