Tension
Tension headache (TH), also known as muscle contraction headache, accounts for about 40% of headache patients and is one of the common chronic headaches in clinical practice. It is characterized by dull headache without throbbing, and the pain can be in the parietal, temporal, frontal and occipital areas, and sometimes it can be multi-site pain. The degree of headache is mild or moderate, not aggravated by physical activity, and daily life and work are often not affected during the headache. The pain is usually persistent and dull, with a sensation of tightness, pressure or heaviness around the head, and may be accompanied by tightness and stiffness in the occipital neck, especially when the neck is turned, often without photophobia, phonophobia or vomiting. Factors that cause tension-type headache include abnormal function of the mouth and jaw, psychological stress, anxiety, depression, delusion, and acute stress. In terms of treatment, Western medicine mostly uses symptomatic treatment with drugs mainly using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and ergotamine or dihydroergotamine are also effective. In Chinese medicine, tension-type headache belongs to the category of “headache” and “head wind”. Clinical research on the treatment of tension-type headache mostly focuses on four aspects: dispelling wind and dispersing cold, draining the liver and strengthening the spleen, activating blood circulation and resolving blood stasis, and resolving phlegm and clearing ligaments. Commonly used formulas include Chuanxiong Chajiao San, Ge Gen Tang, Chaihu Shuhe Hepatic San, Prosperity San, Danjuania Prosperity San, Tongkui Wuhe Tang, Blood Mansions and Blood Stasis Soup, Chai Scutellaria Warm Gall Bladder Soup, and Hanxia Baijiao Tianma Tang.