Headaches and Massage Therapy

At some point in the past year, you've experienced a headache. From the very dull ache at the front of the head to the light sensitive pain behind the eyes, headaches are unpleasant and can be rather disruptive to your life. You may experience headaches regularly or once a year. There are many different causes for headaches and what causes headaches for one person may not cause headaches for you.

One of the biggest contributors to headaches is Stress. As tension increases in your life, you may be unaware of the way you are clenching your jaw, or holding your shoulders. But the body is a marvelous communicator and will manage to get your attention that all is not well through headaches and muscular pain.


Tension type headaches due to Stress, may be the result of Trigger Points, or areas of hyper sensitivity within the muscle groups of the neck and shoulders. The Trapezius muscle in particular, is almost always one of the main contributors. As the muscle fibres become tightly contracted (knots) they spasm creating referred pain and isolated tender spots. Remedial massage therapy is an affective treatment in releasing these knots, and ultimately assisting to alleviate headaches.

Other contributing factors to headaches may include; not enough sleep, hormonal changes (in women), excessive use of mobile phones (exposure to radio frequency fields), illness (like cold's and flu's), depression, food additives or allergies, dehydration and hang overs. Most of these factors can be linked back to Stress and muscular tension.

Massage therapy for headaches is an affective bodywork treatment that addresses the main postural muscles of the neck, shoulders and chest and incorporates remedial techniques such as trigger point release and deep tissue therapy, but has a general emphasis on relaxation and calming of the nervous system. By massaging and releasing tight and sore muscles, the body restores wellness and reduces pain and Stress.

Headache pain need not be something that you put up with or learn to live with. The pain is highly treatable with massage and stretching and adequate hydration. However, it is always best to consult your doctor if you have headache pain that lasts more than a few days, is of greater intensity than your previous headaches, cause severe vomiting or are triggered by coughing, lying down or bending. Your doctor will be able to rule out any serious diagnosis.

If you experience headaches, you don't have to live with pain. Regular massage therapy can help break the headache cycle.

Have a Stress Less Day, 
Nicola