My 12 year old son is getting tension headache, what should I do?
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Hello, my 12 year old son is getting tension headache. He is otherwise healthy and headaches are the only symptom. This is mainly due to tensions due to exam. We could figure out this. What should we do? Do I need to go to a doctor?
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@piya Usually you can treat your child's headache at home with rest, decreased noise, plenty of fluids, balanced meals and OTC pain relievers. If your child is older and has frequent headaches, learning to relax and manage stress through different forms of therapy may help, as well. OTC pain relievers: Acetaminophen or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) can typically relieve headaches for your child. They should be taken at the first sign of a headache.
While stress doesn't appear to cause headaches, it can act as a trigger for headaches or make a headache worse. Depression also can play a role. For these situations, your doctor may recommend one or more behavior therapies, such as: Relaxation training. Relaxation techniques include deep breathing, yoga, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation, in which you tense one muscle at a time. Then you completely release the tension, until every muscle in the body is relaxed. An older child can learn relaxation techniques in classes or at home using books or videos.
Biofeedback training. Biofeedback teaches your child to control certain body responses that help reduce pain. During a biofeedback session, your child is connected to devices that monitor and give feedback on body functions, such as muscle tension, heart rate and blood pressure.
Your child then learns how to reduce muscle tension and slow his or her heart rate and breathing. The goal of biofeedback is to help your child enter a relaxed state to better cope with pain.