A tension headache can occur in anyone, and happens often to many people, and is almost always a non-life threatening situation.

Even so, these tension headaches can be very painful under some circumstances.

A tension headache is placed in the primary headache category by the medical community, putting it in the most common categorization. Tension headache symptoms include a feeling of tightness around the temples and over the eyes. This tightness can usually be described as a "band" around the head. This feeling of tightness typically forms gradually as a painful sensation over the span of a few hours.

This pain can vary in intensity, although it is usually described as fairly mild. Tension headache symptoms can be brought on by a variety of circumstances, and the exact causes remain a mystery. It is widely held that physical and emotional stress play a role in tension headache.

Tension headache symptoms tend to present when the patient is faced with a tough emotional or physical situation, and can develop quickly. The headache usually begins as a tight sensation, developing into pain.

Treatment for tension headache symptoms is fairly simple, and can normally be accomplished with affordable over the counter medications. Any number of pain relievers should work quickly to overcome tension headache symptoms. Pain relievers such as Aleve and Ibuprofin are usually powerful enough to overcome tension headache symptoms.

Primary headaches usually happen on a random basis. Regular headaches are sometimes a sign of another issue at play, and should be checked out with a doctor. Tension headache symptoms should occur as a result of physical or emotional stress. Headaches that begin more randomly, and seemingly without any provocation, may be cause for concern. This is especially true if the symptoms are chronic, or present with additional symptoms, such as sensory issues.

More serious tension headache symptoms can include severe pain, focusing behind one or more eye. If the pain should become intolerable and results in a runny eye or nose, this may be a sign of a cluster headache. Cluster headaches present as an extremely painful sensation behind the eye. This sensation is sometimes powerful enough to trigger an emotional crisis. Immediate medical care should be sought in these situations, as the pain can become excruciating.

Evan