Possibly the most common type of headache, tension headache, manifests as dull, aching pain and feelings of tension, tightness, and / or pressure in the head.
The sufferer may also have tender spots on their scalp and in the muscles of their neck, upper back, and shoulders.
With patients presenting in my office with this type of headache, I frequently find hypertonicity (abnormal tightness) or spasms in the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull, in the muscles of the jaw, and in the muscles of the neck, upper back, and shoulders.
Sound familiar?
My treatment includes adjustments with the Activator to correct misalignments in the neck and upper body, and I use the Activator to relieve the hypertonicity in affected muscles.
Since these headaches are often posture - related, I counsel the patient about stressful postures which may be causing them, teach patients how to avoid these tension-producing postures, and give the patients stretches for the involved muscles.
