Tension headaches are the most common headaches seen in the community. It’s caused by tight/overactive posterior (back) neck muscles. The headaches are usually felt later in the afternoon or evening and they start in the back of your head at the base of your skull. The headache will travel to to top of your head or is felt behind your eyes. This can be felt on one side of your head or both. Here are some things to do to prevent these headaches from coming or treat them if they come.

Topical treatment:

Tiger Balm: Rub a little bit on the back of your neck (at the base of your skull), on both temples (sides of your head, in front of your ears) and on your forehead. https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Balm-Strength-Relieving-Ointment/dp/B00G5MU9I0/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1524096717&sr=1-4&keywords=tiger%2Bbalm&th=1

Peppermint oil: place 2-3 drops on the back of your neck (at the base of your skull), on both temples (sides of your head, in front of your ears) and on your forehead. Repeat that two more times, ten minutes apart, so you should be doing this three times in a half hour time slot.

Exercises and Manual therapy:

Massage the suboccipital muscle. The muscles that connect the top of your neck to the back of your skull.

Do the chin tuck/nod exercises. Video can be found here for visual and explanation of the exercises. If you sit all day and you get a headache at the end of your work day, then you should also read the article “What you should do if you sit for most of the day” and do the following exercises described in the article.

Increase your water intake.

Schattner P, Randerson D. Tiger Balm as a treatment of tension headache. A clinical trial in general practice. Aust Fam Physician 1996;25(2):216, 218, 220.
Gobel H, Fresenius J, Heinze A, et al. Effectiveness of Oleum menthae piperitae and paracetamol in therapy of headache of the tension type. Nervenarzt 1996;67:672–81 [in German].