Myotherapy and Headaches
Headaches are an incredibly common occurrence to the point that many people consider them to be a normal part of everyday life. Happily this doesn’t have to be the case dependant upon the type of headache being experienced. There are 3 main types of headaches - Vascular Headaches (Migraines), Cervicogenic (tension) Headaches and headaches that are a symptom of another problem.
Migraines
A migraine is marked by moderate to severe pain and throbbing in the head, and can be accompanied by nausea, sensitivity to light and other more frightening symptoms such as speech impairment and aphasia. In some cases, these painful headaches are preceded or accompanied by a sensory warning sign, such as flashes of light, blind spots or tingling in your arm or leg.
True migraines can have many causes such as hormonal imbalances, food triggers and environmental stressors. Sometimes no cause can be identified. Even though Myotherapy and massage cannot address all of the causes of migraines, many people still benefit from treatment of the head, neck and shoulders and find that treatments reduce the frequency and or the intensity of their migraines.
Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic simply means originating from the neck (cervical spine). The actual cause of tension headaches can be varied in nature from muscle tension or trigger points to nerve compression or reduced mobility of the spinal joints (facet joints). Poor posture, repetitive movements (occupational or recreational) and stress levels can all factor into the origin of these causes.
Headaches as a symptom
Headaches can be a symptom of other things happening within the body. Some alternate causes of headaches could be as simple as dehydration or caffeine withdrawal, or as serious as high blood pressure or brain tumours.
How can Myotherapy help?
The main type of headache that Myotherapy and massage can assist with is cervicogenic headaches. Soft tissue bodywork can help relieve muscle spasms, improve blood flow and circulation, relieve tension and promote relaxation. It has been shown to be helpful in bringing relief for both tension (cervicogenic) and vascular (migraine) headaches.
Myotherapy treatment techniques that may help include:
Deep tissue massage
Trigger point therapy
Myofascial release
Joint mobilisation
Dry Needling
Because many migraine sufferers experience extreme sensitivity to touch, and many find movement increases pain levels, deep tissue massage during an active migraine (or bad tension headache) would be out of the question. However, if you suffer from regular attacks then seeking out treatment between episodes could be highly beneficial.
What can I do at home?
The first question I ask clients coming in with reoccurring headaches is “are you drinking enough water?”, all too often the answer is “no”. Staying hydrated is so very important for your whole body, but something that many of us forget to do.
Stretches, stretches, stretches! Our muscles hate to be in the same position for prolonged periods of time, however many of us spend our days stuck in front of a computer or in another compromised position. Building a daily routine of stretches into your life can be hugely helpful in warding off headaches (and many other types of muscle ache). This doesn’t even mean you have to carve out 20-30min morning and night to fit in a full body stretch routine (though if this works for you, go for it!), look for opportunities in your day where you’re waiting - waiting at traffic lights is a great time for neck stretches. Additionally setting a movement alarm on your computer or phone can be a great way to make sure that you’re not staying in the same position for hours on end.
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