Having a severe and prolonged headache is really very unpleasant and disabling, and unfortunately a large part of the population suffers from headaches, at least once a year.
There are many causes that generate this headache, such as migraine, tension headache or alcohol. In today’s article we will talk about the differences between tension headache, very common in today’s population, and migraine, a very disabling nervous system disorder.
This way you will be able to differentiate them correctly and know which of the two you usually have, and thus you can remedy it and be able to continue with your day to day, normally.
What is tension headache
Headache or also known as headache, is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system, 50% of the population suffers it once a year.
Tension headache is a type of headache that is characterized by a lateralized headache associated with a sensation of pressure and tension that runs to the nape, necks, shoulders and even in the dorsal.
Its origin can come from disorders such as anxiety, stress, fatigue, musculoskeletal problems, and poor postural hygiene. And the tension headache can be episodic, disappearing in hours; or chronic when it appears 15 days a month, in a period of 3 months and can persist for days.
What is migraine
Migraine affects 13% of the population and is also a nervous system disorder caused by the activation of a mechanism in the brain that releases inflammatory substances that cause pain around the nerves and blood vessels throughout the brain.
The clearest symptom of migraine is a moderate or very severe headache, depending on the patient, and usually associated with a throbbing and vibrating sensation that can affect the whole head or one side of it, right or left.
In cases of very intense migraines, the symptoms are more serious being these nausea, flashes, sensitivity to light and sound, tingling in the hands or even partial loss of vision.
There is no chronic or episodic migraine, but it usually lasts for a lifetime, and in the same way that headache is more common in women. What’s more, it is a disease with a large hereditary component, but it tends to get worse if it is combined with other pathologies such as depression and sleep disorders.
Differences between tension headache and migraine
After understanding what is tension headache and what is migraine, it is important to know what the main differences are so that it is easy for you to identify which of them you have, since they are often confused.
The differences are found in the hereditary component, in the duration, in the symptoms, in the cause and in the place where the pain is found.
Tension headache | Migraine | |
---|---|---|
Hereditary component | There is no hereditary component | If there is a hereditary component |
duration | Depending on whether it is episodic or chronic | They last for hours, and rarely more than a day, but in severe migraines they can last up to 72 hours. |
symptomatology | Feeling of tension in the head, neck, neck, shoulders and lats | Non-tension headache with throbbing and vibrating sensation in the brain. It can also cause nausea, lightning, sensitivity to light and sound, tingling in the hands or even partial loss of vision. |
cause | Stress, anxiety, constant tension, poor body posture, musculoskeletal problems and fatigue. The cause is a very intense and chronic muscle contracture. | Caused by the activation of a mechanism in the brain that releases inflammatory substances that cause pain around the nerves and blood vessels throughout the brain. |
Place where the pain lies | It is usually a pain in the sides of the head (sometimes it is in the whole head) and in the surrounding areas that are in tension. | It is a pain in the whole head or only in the middle, right or left. |
Each patient has their own symptoms, that is, you don’t have to have all of the symptoms of a tension headache or all of the symptoms of a migraine, it might only have three, for example. That is why it is important to differentiate them very well so that the symptoms are not confused.
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