Headaches are a plague on the human race! They are the most common symptom reported to doctors and therapists by their patients/clients. Probably every person will suffer from a headache at some point in their lives, and some people suffer frequently, even daily.
The trouble with headaches is that the causes are seemingly infinite! You may be suffering for any number of reasons: i.e. bad posture, eye-strain, fatigue, food intolerances, muscle strain, anxiety, hormone imbalance, etc. The list goes on and on. The remedies differ depending on the cause, and often a single headache will have a combination of causes, and therefore require several remedies.
Headaches can be classified into three groups. 1) Migraines, 2) Tension Type Headaches, 3) Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias and other disorders.
Just as not every bad cold is a flu, not every acute headache is a migraine. Migraines are usually felt on one side of the head, and can involve severe pain, throbbing, nausea, and sensitivity to light. If you truly suffer from migraines, it is unlikely that massage is the solution, as muscle tension is probably not the cause. Any other headache you have is most likely a Tension Type Headaches (TTH) - "tension” referring to muscle tension.
I will only address the group that is relevant to massage therapy – Tension Type Headaches (TTH). Some common causes of TTH are:
Poor Posture
Injury/trauma to neck/shoulders/head region
Misalignment
Lack of exercise
Anxiety or stress
Eye strain
Pain killers will often do the trick because they mask the pain, allowing you to relax, and relaxation opens your body up to self-healing. However, pain killers are not a long-term solution for chronic headaches. There is probably a cause that you need to address. Massage therapy can certainly help with many of the above-mentioned causes. In some cases, you would need to be referred to another therapy i.e. Osteopathy, optometry etc. It all depends on the cause and the severity of the condition.
Some of the things massage can achieve in relation to TTH:
- Relieving stress and anxiety
- Relaxing the body
- Freeing tight connective tissue
- Trigger point release
- Lengthening contracted and tense muscles
Massage is an excellent first choice of treatment because it has a good chance of helping, and very little risk of making the issue worse. Unlike a lot of other therapies, it is soothing in nature, and that is often enough to start the healing process. However, if you already have a headache, massage might actually intensify the pain. Or, it might relieve it! Again, it depends on the cause. If you feel your head throbbing and it feels horrible to bend down, I’d recommend waiting until it passes to have your massage.
The bottom line: Headaches happen when your body is signaling something is wrong. Don’t make a habit of neglecting this warning from your body. If you’re chronically suffering, look for a cause. Whether muscle tension is the cause of a headache or only a symptom of another cause, it should be addressed; treating the tension might just take care of the headache at the same time.
