Tension Headaches vs. Migraines: How to Tell the Difference

If you’re constantly dealing with headache pain, you’re ready to find an effective treatment. However, before you can treat your headaches, you need to know the type and their triggers.  Since there are over 150 types of headaches, it can be challenging to narrow down the type you’re dealing with. 

At RapidRecovery TMS in Wilmington, North Carolina, our team knows how much headache pain can affect your quality of life. So, in this month’s blog, we take the time to explore two common types of headaches. 

Understanding tension headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. With this kind of headache, it feels like a tight band is squeezing your head, causing pain and pressure. Triggers for tension headaches include: 

• Stress 
• Neck strain 
• Sleep disorders 
• Neck arthritis

Often, tension headaches resolve on their own, and the pain can easily be managed with over-the-counter pain medications. However, if you experience them several times a month, you may need to find the underlying culprit. Treating the trigger helps alleviate the frequency and severity of your tension headaches. 

Understanding migraine headaches

Migraine is a neurological disorder that leads to chronic headaches. These headache episodes typically have four phases: prodrome, aura, pain, and postdrome, although not everyone goes through all four phases every time they have a migraine episode. 

The pain (headache) portion can last anywhere from 4-72 hours and is typically isolated to one side of your face. Migraine pain can cause sensitivity to light and sound and also trigger nausea and vomiting. Up to one-third of people with chronic migraines experience the aura phase before the headache happens. Aura symptoms include seeing stars, flashing lights, and black spots. 

While not everyone has a migraine trigger, common ones include: 

• Dehydration 
• Hormone fluctuations 
• Missed meals 
• Disruptions in sleep patterns 

Medications are available for managing chronic migraine attacks. 

Does your headache pain require professional treatment?

If you deal with occasional pain from tension headaches, you probably don’t need professional treatment. You can make some lifestyle changes to manage stress and maintain optimal spine health to keep tension headache pain to a minimum. However, if you deal with chronic and debilitating headaches, don’t prolong seeking help. 

RapidRecovery TMS is passionate about helping you manage chronic headache pain, especially if it’s due to migraine attacks. Keeping a headache journal can help identify possible migraine triggers. As a first treatment, we might suggest medication.

We also offer transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy to help manage any emotional distress that often accompanies chronic health conditions, such as migraine. 

To learn more about how we can help treat chronic headache pain, schedule a consultation with our team by calling or using our online booking feature today.