[Indie'sOK]

I've had chronic tension headaches for years. I've never really brought it up on PC because it always just seemed like a nuisance I had to live with. But it's starting to affect my schoolwork, my moods, and my behavior. I'll go a length of time where they don't occur so often - like maybe once a week - and then I'll enter a sort of phase where I'll get one every day or most days. I know they're due to stress. I've been in therapy for over two years and still the pain persists.

In freshmen year of high school, my health teacher told us about the biofeedback therapy she received as a teenager to treat her near-daily headaches - ones just like mine. Since then I've been interested in biofeedback. I've heard it works very well for this sort of thing. Has anyone tried it? It's probably expensive but seems like something that insurance might cover.

I think what would help more than anything is learning to handle stress better. But in the interim between now and when I get around to it in therapy, this looks like a promising treatment.

Thanks for any advice!

[Flooded]

I get chronic headaches too and its the only pain I can't tolerate without painkillers.

I have started getting massages weekly and although I still get a headache, it doesn't seem to be as severe.

I also use heat packs on my neck when I feel one coming on.

[Leed]

Hi ~ I've tried biofeedback for chronic pain, and I had alot of difficulty with it. I'm not able to "clear my mind" to the point that it required. I guess it's like hypnosis -- you have to be sensitive to that kind of thing -- you need to "quiet the noise" in the head --- and that wasn't something I was able to do. Everyone is different tho, and it's certainly worth a try.

I'm wondering if you ever had an MRI of your neck? Your headaches COULD be coming from a disc problem in the neck -- and you should at least have the MRI to be sure. I also thought my headaches were from stress, but found out after an MRI that i had a herniation in the neck and that was causing the headaches.

I wish you the very best -- I hope you find some relief for these headaches. God bless & take care. Hugs, Lee

[Indie'sOK]

Thanks
I've had a CT scan done when I was about 9 that came back clear. I'm very sure mine are caused from stress, though, because they usually only come on in stressful situations. I am under constant stress because I don't handle it well at all and it builds up. I'm going to the doctor next week..I'll ask her too.