Collinsville sits near the junction of the interstates that carry most of the Illinois-side traffic west, which makes the run to Woodson Road on the Missouri side a short one outside of rush hour.
Not every frequent headache is a migraine, and not every one is tension
The two most common headache types are routinely confused, in both directions. Tension-type headache is typically a dull, pressing band on both sides, mild to moderate, not made worse by walking upstairs, without nausea or light sensitivity. Migraine is more often one-sided, throbbing, moderate to severe, aggravated by ordinary activity, with nausea or sensitivity to light and sound.
The practical consequence of getting it wrong is years of the wrong treatment. Someone treating migraine as a stress headache with over-the-counter tablets several days a week is on a path to a worse problem, not a stable one. The full comparison is in migraine or tension-type headache.
The commute is not a trivial factor
Sustained postures — a long drive, a screen at the wrong height — load the neck muscles, and the neck feeds directly into the same pain pathway as the head. In frequent headache the neck is involved far more often than it is examined, and treating it changes the picture more than people expect. See is my headache coming from my neck.
The jaw belongs in the same examination
Clenching, whether from stress or overnight grinding, produces pain in the temple that reads exactly like a tension headache. It is one of the most commonly missed contributors and takes about two minutes to check — see TMJ as a missed cause of headache.
Common questions
How can I tell which type I have?
Track whether ordinary activity makes it worse, and whether light, sound or nausea come with it. Those three questions separate the two better than severity does — see migraine or tension-type headache.
I take something most days for it. Is that a problem?
Probably yes. Simple analgesics cross the overuse threshold around fifteen days a month and combination products much sooner — see medication-overuse headache.
Is tension-type headache treatable here?
Yes, and the first step is confirming that is what it is. See tension headache treatment or get in touch.