Headache Relief and Treatment with Massage Therapy
As much as 90% of adults have a headache each year. There are 4 categories of headaches: tension headaches, vascular headaches, chemical headaches, and traction inflammatory headaches. Tension headaches are one of the most common and make up 90% of headaches. Migraines fall under vascular headaches and make up 6 – 8% of headache cases. Chemical headaches are caused by chemical exposure and traction inflammatory headaches are the rarest and indicate a more serious problem. (Werner p. 316 – 320)
Causes of Tension Headaches
These muscles are commonly involved in headaches
Now, don’t get me wrong, I take ibuprefen or whatever to take the edge off but if you get frequent or recurring headaches massage is the best thing for headache relief and treatment of headaches because it addresses muscular tension. The upper back and neck muscles are the most involved muscles in tension headaches. The most common muscles I see involved are the upper, middle and lower trapezius, levator scapulae, splenius capitis, rhomboids and S.C.M. The most notable and talked about cause for tension in these muscles is of course poor posture and forward head carriage but anything that stresses these muscles will cause tension and trigger points in these muscles.
Any activities where muscles of the shoulder and neck are used can cause trigger points and therefore cause headaches. The trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulea all retract the scapula so any motions that would bring the arm and scapula back will use these muscles (like rowing.) The upper trapezius and lower trapezius help to upwardly rotate the scapula so any motions where the arms move up will use these muscles. The rhomboids and levator scapulae downwardly rotate the scapula so any activities where the arm and scapula move down will use these muscles. The splenius capitis, levator scapula, and upper trapezius all extend the neck (bring the head and neck backward) and sidebend the head and neck to the same side. And the splenius capitis and levator scapulae rotate the head to the same side and the upper trapezius rotates to the oppossite side.
The upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and splenius capitis move the head and neck into sidebending
The left upper trapezius, right splenius capitis, and levator scapulae rotate the head and neck to the right
The upper trapezius, levator scapulae and splenius capitis extend (bring back) the head and neck
The entire trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulae retract (bring back) the scapula
The upper trapezius and lower trapezius upwardly rotate the scapula
The laevator scapulae and the rhomboids downwardly rotate the scapula
Massage Treatment for Headaches
When deciding to see a Massage Therapist for headache treatment it is important to get a diagnosis first, especially if headaches arise after an injury or accident. Massage can still be appropiate in these instances but you need to make sure there are no other underlying problems. Massage strokes that help reduce tension and increase circulation, such as effluerage, friction, and static pressure, are used. Stretching the tight muscles, especially of the upper trapezius and levator scapulae, is really helpful. And I also like to use heat as this relaxes tight muscles but most importantly helps to flush out the cellular waste that accumalates in the tissue.
Trigger Points and Headaches
As discussed earlier with trigger points, when muscles develop trigger points cellular waste produced by muscle contraction stays in the area and these wastes are irritating to nerves and pain is produced. This can be in any form from stiffness, pain, and in this case headache. Seeing how close all these structures are to the neck and head we can easily see how pain can be produced in the head. In my experience massage is probably the best thing for headaches. Even migraine sufferers benefit from having tension in their neck and shoulders worked on and have reported that their incidence of migraine headaches decrease with regular massage.
Trigger Point Self Treatment
I am a firm believer in self massage as most times trigger points need daily work in order to eradicate them and so self massage to these areas is really important for those of us that suffer from frequent headaches. When doing self massage, massage as much of the area as possible and take notice of the most sensitive areas and spend extra time there. I particularly like using a tennis ball in a sock (for control) and the theracane for the top of the shoulder. The theracane is good for the upper back especially for pressure but sometimes for me it’s a little much if it’s really sore. In general you don’t want to use a lot pressure right away, just massage the area a little bit first. Also, I like to use heat first to warm the area up and after self massage to help flush out the waste. For more on self massage, check out this link: http://h2tmuscleclinic.com/how-to-treat-your-own-upper-back-knots-in-10-minutes/
If you would like to schedule an appointment or would like more information please call (203) 660-0584 or email: hello@h2tmuscleclinic.com
1. Werner, Ruth. A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology. 4th Edition. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wlikins, 2009. p.316 – 320. Print.
