What Causes Tension Headaches?

In my next few blog entries I want to discuss a common type of headache: The Tension headache. Today I want to address the causes of Tension Headaches.

The Cause of tension headaches is usually tight and spasmed neck, shoulder and/or upper back muscles, which restrict blood flow to the back of the head - it's like stepping on a turned-on garden hose.

In addition, these tight and spasmed muscles irritate nerve endings in the back of the head.

The result: chronic tension headaches.

These neck, shoulder and/or upper back spasms and tightness associated with these spasms are usually a direct result of poor posture - especially poor posture in the workplace (although some kinds of trauma, like a car accident, can be responsible).

Let's say you work at a computer all day, or drive a truck, or work at a drill press in a factory. Chances are, you often find yourself working with your neck jutted out and shoulders rolled in.

When you stay in this posture all day, your neck, shoulders and/or upper back get stretched out. At the same time, your chest constricts, weakening its ability to hold your head upright.

This puts even more strain on your neck, shoulders and upper back, which eventually tighten. After awhile, this constant strain causes microscopic fibers in these muscles to tear. The body, in an effort to prevent this tearing, causes the affected muscles to knot up, or spasm.

Nevertheless, some tearing occurs within these spasms anyway. And when they heal, microscopic threads of scar tissue are left behind. When that happens, these scar tissues effectively lock the spasms in place.

At that point, the spasms can't release no matter how many painkillers or muscle relaxers you take. And since these spasms are continually restricting blood flow to the back of the head and irritating nerve endings there, chronic tension headaches develop.

The only way to get rid of the headaches is to get rid of the spasms, but you can't get rid of the spasms until you get rid of the scar tissue locking them in place.

And that's where the "How to Get Permanent Relief From Chronic Tension Headaches" program comes in. It takes you by the hand and teaches you a little-known soft-tissue technique (sort of like acupressure) that breaks down this scar tissue, allowing for the spasms to relax.

Once that happens, there's no more nerve ending irritation, no more blood flow restriction to the back of your head...and no more headaches.

Of course, the entire cycle will repeat itself unless the posture is corrected.

To get more information about Tension Headaches read: How to Get Permanent Relief From Chronic Tension Headaches. It will give you several easy-to-follow stretches to do that gradually retrain your muscles to adapt to a proper posture.