How Massage Therapy Can Relieve Headaches and Migraines

Headaches and migraines are a common problem for a vast amount of people. Whether it’s a tension headache, cluster headache or classic migraine, these issues may impede your ability to live a normal life and enjoy regular activities. For some people, it might even get to a point where headache pain relievers and medications are simply not enough to provide any relief. The good news is that massage therapy can actually help relieve headaches and migraines. Here’s how.

Identifying Your Headache or a Migraine

Your body and mind are directly related. The stress and tension you carry every day can manifest itself in headaches. Headaches are broken down into two categories, primary and secondary.

Primary headaches are categorized as a condition unto themselves and not related to other factors that may impact your body.

Secondary headaches may be attributed to factors such as seasonal weather, overuse of medication, head trauma or a cervicogenic headache which may be linked to a neck condition. Both of these categories can be chronic or episodic, and they both include extreme discomfort and pain.

The Role of Massage Therapy

A cervicogenic headache responds best to massage therapy because there is a direct link between the pain in your head and the rest of your body. Our experienced massage therapists at the Richmond Hill Chiro-Med Rehab Centre are ready to provide relief. By pinpointing the pressure points in your neck and back that cause you pain, we can gently massage these points to relieve the tension that has built up in your neck that creates the pain in your head. Massage promotes blood circulation which in turn, relieves pain. The stress and tension associated with pain are then released from your body, offering relief for the ache in your head.

Different Massage Techniques for Different Headaches

A migraine is very different from a seasonal or an allergy headache. So we use different techniques to treat different headaches. For example, a migraine is known as a vascular headache. The blood vessels constrict in the brain and muscles of the head and neck. To relieve the symptoms of migraines, massage can benefit by helping to loosen the tight muscles and tissue that is likely causing you pain. This release contributes to greater muscle balance and alignment, giving you a relief from the grip of a migraine.

No Meds Required

Perhaps the best news for you, whether you suffer from headaches or migraines, is that massage therapy offers a chemical-free route to pain relief. As an intervention, this is an important first step in learning more about your body, mind and the lifestyle you lead which can all be contributing factors to your headaches or migraines.

What Do You Have to Lose?

Whether you are at the beginning of your experience with headaches and migraines or you have been suffering for years, your massage therapist in Richmond Hill at Chiro-Med Rehab Centre is ready to offer you relief and solutions for dealing with your pain.