As a remedial massage therapist, I get lots of people coming to me with headaches or migraines; for some, massage is a ?last resort? for a condition that has lasted several days or persists despite treatment with medication. Most people are surprised by how quickly and effectively deep tissue massage can treat the underlying causes of headaches and migraines, and thereby relieve painful symptoms. This article explains some of the different ways that massage can fix headaches and migraines.
IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT IS A HEADACHE/MIGRAINE?
Most headaches are tension headaches ? pressure or tension in and around the head. These types of headaches are extremely common, and most people will experience them during their lifetime.
Migraines on the other hand, are moderate to severe headaches that are accompanied by nausea and can involve sensitivity to light or sound. The pain is usually on one side of the head, throbbing and intense.
WHAT CAUSES TENSION HEADACHES?
As the name suggests, the primary cause is tension in the muscles of the neck and head. This muscle tension can be caused by:
> tension in neck muscles
> stress
> tiredness
> long periods of reading, typing or concentration (eye strain)
> poor posture
> spine and neck injuries
> high blood pressure
> physical or emotional stress.
HOW DOES MASSAGE HELP?
Massage helps to reduce muscular tension, stress and pain from tension headaches. More specifically, the effects of massage fall into three broad areas:
1) Physical (Physiologic) Effects of Massage
Massage uses different hand techniques to cause muscles to relax.
> Neck Muscles are stretched to release the physical tension, causing them to relax.
> Muscle Fibres that have fused are broken up to allow fresh oxygen-rich blood to reach the muscles.
> Metabolic Waste like lactic acid is taken from muscle build up and dispersed.
> Nerves that are caught in the muscle are freed, so they stop causing referred pain.
2) Neurochemical Effects of Massage
The feeling of calm and relaxation you get after a massage is due largely to the release and rebalancing of chemicals in your body:
> Dopamine, oxycontin and serotonin levels are increased, creating pleasant feelings and reduced cravings.
> Cortisol levels are reduced, which lowers the general feeling of ?stress?.
3) Other Effects of Massage
There are a number of other massage effects that help to reduce headache symptoms. It relaxes your nervous system, slows down your heart rate and increases circulation. In short, it calms you down.
WHAT MASSAGE DO I NEED?
If you want the best chance of resolving the issue, be sure to choose a remedial massage therapist who can properly assess the problem. Depending on what is causing the tension, the massage could involve different techniques and stretches. At ESSENTIAL Tamworth Massage, I use:
> Deep Tissue Massage ? Different hand techniques warm up the superficial muscle layers and gradually work the deeper muscles. It?s like peeling an onion until you reach the deeper layers.
>Trigger Points / Myofascial Release ? Areas of the muscle that are holding metabolic waste (like lactic acid) are targeted to release this back into your system. It?s working on the areas that feel like ?knots?.
HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER THE MASSAGE?
Generally speaking, you should feel the symptoms decrease after a single massage treatment. If there was significant muscle tension prior to the massage, the muscles may feel a little tender and you may feel dehydrated as a result of the waste going back into your system. Otherwise, you should be feeling relaxed.
After a massage treatment it?s important to drink extra water, and complete any stretches that you are given. It?s good to complete neck stretches and modify the way you perform activities to reduce aggravating the condition.
WHAT IF HEADACHES PERSIST AFTER TREATMENT?
If your headache comes back or persists after treatment, it may be indicative of a more serious problem. In this case, it would be important to have it checked out by a doctor just to be sure.
Source: http://www.eed2011.org/2012/09/can-massage-fix-headaches-and-migraines/
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