Headache Relief & Massage Therapy

Headaches can come in many forms but to treat a tension headache is the domain where massage therapists may help the most.

When scheduling a massage for your headache it’s imperative that you understand the cause. There are certain symptoms such as blurred vision along with a headache may be cause for alarm and immediate medical intervention.

Hormonal fluctuations and or chemical changes in the brain may also cause headaches as well as more serious conditions such as sinus infections and tumors. Unfortunately, manual therapy is limited in helping with these conditions.

Returning to our original diagnosis of tension headaches allows massage to be an effective source for relief .

Trigger points, fascia restrictions and muscle spasms are common manifestations of accumulated tension. Headaches may also be the final destination of referred pain starting in the neck or shoulder muscles.

Your massage therapist may ask you specific questions prior to your massage such as pain medication last intake, dosage and frequency, if any position triggers your headache (lying down vs. standing up) or if you’re experiencing nausea.

It’s important to let your therapist know if you’ve experienced any head trauma , wear eye glasses or stare at a screen for many hours a day. Finally, the therapist may examine your scalp, jaw muscles, neck and shoulders for tension and tenderness when touching the area.

There are certain techniques that may be too assertive such as trigger point therapy on the scalp or may feel like the perfect pressure you need to release a muscle spasm.

If you suffer from frequent headaches and are also stressed, schedule an appointment with your doctor to confirm a tension headache diagnosis and rule out any serious issues. If tight muscles along your scalp, face , neck and upper back are the only issue then I highly recommend you seek out a massage therapist experienced in cervical work. The neck is one of the most vulnerable areas of the body to work with and a therapist with specific training in this region would benefit you.

A helpful guide to discovering of massage or manual therapy would benefit you, begin pressing with your fingers all along your scalp. If you discover certain points that are sensitive and almost feel “bruise-like”, these are trigger points and can be alleviated during your massage. Likewise, feel the muscles along your occipital area (base of your skull) if this is tender, you may be a good candidate for a massage which focuses on head, facial, neck, upper to mid back muscles and some chest as well. A tried and true method is that if a friend of family member rubs your head and or shoulders and you feel relief, this is often a helpful indicator that massage would help you.