If you often feel that familiar pressure wrapping around your head or behind your eyes, you might be dealing with tension headaches. They’re one of the most common types of headaches, usually linked to muscle tension, stress, and posture — not random pain.

At Central Ohio Spine and Joint in Westerville, we see this every day. The real key to lasting relief often begins with understanding your own patterns. That’s where a tension headache journal comes in.

Understanding Tension Headaches

Tension headaches usually feel like a dull, tight band across your forehead or around the back of your head. Unlike migraines, they’re steady rather than throbbing and often stem from muscle tightness in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.

Common causes include:

• Poor posture or forward head position
• Neck and shoulder tension
• Stress or fatigue
• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
• Dehydration or skipped meals

Over time, these habits overload muscles and joints in your neck and upper spine, creating the perfect setup for recurring pain.

Why Keeping a Headache Journal Helps

Many people think headaches strike without warning. In reality, there are often clear patterns — you just need a way to see them.

A headache journal helps track when, where, and why your pain happens. Over time, it can reveal lifestyle factors, posture issues, or stress triggers that you can actually control.

What to Track in Your Tension Headache Journal

• Date and time – When it started and how long it lasted
• Intensity – Rate it on a 1–10 scale
• Location – Behind the eyes, temples, neck, or shoulders
• Activity before onset – Sitting, working out, or under stress?
• Sleep and hydration – Did you get enough rest and water?
• Stress level – Emotional or work-related tension?
• Relief methods – Stretching, rest, or chiropractic care

Even tracking for two weeks can highlight triggers you didn’t realize were consistent.

Common Triggers We See in Our Clinic

At Central Ohio Spine and Joint, the most common causes behind tension headaches include:

• Prolonged sitting and screen time: Forward head posture strains neck and upper back muscles.
• Jaw tension: Clenching or grinding tightens the TMJ and surrounding areas.
• Dehydration and missed meals: Low hydration and blood sugar increase sensitivity to pain.
• Stress and poor sleep: Both heighten muscle tension and lower pain tolerance.

Once these patterns are clear, we can design a plan that targets each cause.

How We Treat Tension Headaches at Central Ohio Spine and Joint

We take a holistic, evidence-based approach that goes beyond short-term relief. Our team combines chiropractic care, rehab, and lifestyle strategies to restore healthy movement and reduce pain.

Our treatment often includes:

• Manual therapy and spinal manipulation to restore motion and reduce tension
• Dry needling or shockwave therapy to release tight muscle trigger points
• Postural retraining and corrective exercise to improve strength and endurance
• Stress management and ergonomic coaching to prevent recurrence

When paired with a consistent tension headache journal, this approach helps patients understand exactly what’s causing their symptoms and how to prevent future flare-ups.

Take Control of Your Headache Patterns

Tension headaches aren’t random. They’re your body’s way of asking for change — in posture, movement, or stress habits.

Keeping a journal may seem simple, but it’s one of the best tools for long-term relief. When you pair it with guided care from a skilled chiropractor in Westerville, you’ll gain the clarity and strategies needed to stop the cycle of recurring pain.

Ready to get to the root of your headaches?
Schedule a Diagnostic Scan and Clinical Evaluation at Central Ohio Spine and Joint today. Our team will help identify your personal triggers and build a treatment plan that fits your lifestyle.