News

In today’s busy world its not unusual for many people to spend 8-10 plus hours working in a day.  That puts a lot of physical strain on the body and the mind.  Its not uncommon for this to lead to tight shoulder and neck muscles causing tension headaches.  They are niggling and uncomfortable and in extreme cases can bring you to a halt.

Headache Prevention

The good news is that massage therapy is proven to help.  As a preventative, a relaxation massage can help to ease the neck and shoulder muscles keeping them supple and less likely to bring on a tension headache.  Attending a regular massage appointment is also known to assist with managing your sleep patterns which, when disturbed, have also been linked to headaches.

Headache Relief

In the worst case that the headache has already hit, a massage therapist is able to utilise more deep tissue techniques to loosen the suboccipitals (that muscle at the base of your skull) and antagonistic muscles.  By releasing the tension and improving circulation in this area, massage reduces the pain.

Did you know – the jaw is partially antagonistic with the suboccipitals.  If you grind your teeth you are likely to also suffer tension headaches.

Additional benefits of massage therapy for tension headaches include an ongoing decrease in the number of tension headaches reported by clients, a reduced level of stress and improved sleep patterns reducing the chance of stress related tension headaches and an ongoing reduction in muscle spasms and trigger points in the neck and shoulder area.

Although not a cure all for headaches, massage has a role in reducing the pain, discomfort and duration.

If you have an ongoing headache issue consult your health care professional.