Many people describe tension headaches in different manners. According to Hans-Christoph Diener, spokesman for the German Neurology Society (DGN) 70 percent of Germans show

symptoms of such headache twice a month.

Tension headaches, known medically as tension-type headaches, are a real problem if they become chronic, however. "As defined by specialists, this is when the pains occur 15 or more days a

month for a least three consecutive months," explained Volker Limmroth, head physician at Cologne-Merheim Hospital's neurological clinic.

Diener, who founded the West German Headache Centre at Essen University Hospital, said that people with frequent tension headaches should by all means see a neurologist or pain therapist.

"There seems to be a time factor," he said. "If you catch a person on the way to chronification, it's possible to 'roll back' the tension headaches with the help of multimodal therapy."

The first pillar, out of four main pillars of multimodal therapy, is long-term medicinal treatment. Painkilling drugs are unsuitable, though, because when taken over a long period they can not

only have various side effects but also aggravate the headaches or cause them to become chronic.

The second pillar is behavior therapy. "Two methods are particularly effective against tension headaches: progressive muscle relaxation as developed by (American physician Edmund) Jacobson and autogenic training," remarked Susanne Grohs-von Reichenbach, a relaxation therapist in Munich.

As a third pillar in multimodal therapy, neurologists recommend engaging in an endurance sport such as jogging or swimming three times a week. And finally, physiotherapy as a fourth pillar can target muscle tension, for example in the neck.

Grohs-von Reichenbach noted," Many of the people in my class point to work at a computer screen as a precipitating factor. I advise them to take a two-to-three minute break every hour, roll their shoulders and move their eyes."