Each June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. Headaches and migraines can cause pain and immensely affect your overall quality of life. While almost 90% of the population has experienced a headache, for many people, it may be a minor and infrequent annoyance. For many others, however, headaches can have a severe impact on their life. This is true not only on a personal level but also on a professional level. One in ten headache sufferers will miss an average of four days of work each year. Collectively, this is a significant economic and personal cost. Many people turn to medication for relief, however massage therapy and bodywork are a great alternative.
Seeing clients who present with headaches is a very common experience at Heavenly Embrace Wellness, and that’s why we offer a few services that might assist with those conditions. In particular: reflexology, deep tissue massage therapy, and energy healing.
What kind of Headache are you Experiencing?
While there are many different types of headaches the International Headache Society classifies three primary types of headaches. – They are stemming from environmental, chemical, hormonal, and physical factors.
*Migraine Headache:
A migraine headache feels like intense throbbing or pulsing and is often associated with what’s called an “aura.” An aura causes visual disturbances just prior to the onset of the headache. Migraines can range from moderate to severe and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and/or sound. They have vascular origin (vessels), and they can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. Migraines are often triggered by stress, muscle tension and poor sleep.
*Vestibular Migraine Headache (VM):
The most noticeable symptoms are vertigo symptoms — having balance issues, dizziness, feeling light-headed, spinning, swaying, loss of balance and an intense sensitivity to motion or movement. May or may not involve headaches in combination with these symptoms. Vertigo symptoms may come and go within minutes or last for days.
*Tension Headache (Tension-Type Headache or TTH):
A tension headache is the most common type of headache worldwide, however the causes aren’t well known and they are perhaps the least understood. There are many possible causes of TTH-
- Postural
- Structural
- Myofascial
- Muscular
- TMJD (TemporoMandibular Joint Disorders)
- Neurologic
Tension headaches have muscular origin and can be mild to moderate, and are often described as feeling like your head is being squeezed. The headaches are typically bilateral and unlike a migraine, physical activity does not make it worse or better and tension headaches are not typically accompanied by visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting or dizziness.
There are two kinds of TTH:
ETTH– Episodic Tension-Type Headache
· After a history of at least ten previous headaches, ETTH refers to having less than 15 headaches per month. The headaches can last from 30 minutes to a week.
CTTH—Chronic Tension-Type Headache
· CTTH refers to having more than 15 headaches per month. The headaches can last for hours and be ongoing. This chronic condition affects approximately 3% of the population.
*Cluster Headache:
A cluster headache is one of the most painful types of headaches because the pain is sharp and intense. Very often, it is concentrated on one eye or side of the head. These headaches have a vascular origin, and they come on suddenly and last anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. Cluster headaches can also come in episodes called “cluster periods” that can last from six to twelve weeks. People with chronic cluster headaches may have cluster periods that last up to a year. They are often cyclical and regular.
*Cervicogenic Headache (CGH):
This type of headache is a secondary headache. Meaning, it’s a result from another source including inflammation or head and neck injuries.
As these headaches originate from an issue in the cervical spine itself, a daily presentation is quite common. Cervicogenic headaches are typically unilateral and usually accompany a reduced range of motion (ROM) of the neck. The typical duration of cervicogenic headaches is likely to be several hours. As the headache is brought on by movements of the neck, any provocation of the cervical area will generate discomfort, which will then take several hours to abate.
There are three common areas of discomfort or tenderness: Occipital (base of the skull), Temporal (above the ears) and Supraorbital (above the eye), which is the most common area for extra sensitivity.
Using RAD Tools for Self-Myofascial Release
Are you looking for tools for at-home solutions to self-myofascial release your muscles, such as foam rollers, massage balls or massage sticks?
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Neck Stretches for Self-Care:
I highly recommend you do regular neck stretches that can help prevent not only neck and shoulder pain, buy headaches too!! Read more about this in my blog Got Text Neck.
Some Tips for Stretching
- Stretch frequently, flexing tight joints and shaking out tense limbs.
- Be gentle. Stretch to a place where you feel pull but not pain. Don’t bounce.
- Hold the stretch for 10 seconds to increase circulation, 30–60 seconds to lengthen a muscle.
- Breathe easily while holding the stretch. Slow, full breaths can get more oxygen to your muscles and help prevent straining.
- If you have a recent injury or surgery, or if you feel a sharp pain when stretching, consult your primary health practitioner before continuing any stretching program.
Massage for Headaches:
Massage is a great way to relieve tension and tighten the muscles in the back, neck, and shoulders, which are all highly involved and can cause headaches, especially the tension headache type. Most likely, I will include MyoFascial Release and Trigger Point work in your session for all or some of the following Muscles and areas:
If your headaches are coupled with pain in the ears, jaw tightening, and clenching of the teeth, consult your doctor about Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJD). We offer massages for TMJ issues that can help relieve pain in the jaw, neck, and head.
Reflexology and Energy Healing are safe and effective ways to prevent, manage, and treat headaches and migraines as well.
Heavenly Embrace Wellness specializes in all of these treatments. Please read through our services menu to find the treatment or combination of them that is right for you.
To help bring relief to your aching head, Book your appointment online. Call (720) 515-9034 or use the contact us form. I might be able to help!
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy Reduces Chronic Pain
Pain is an important symptom designed to alert us to problems in our body. Chronic pain is virtually always associated with chronic inflammation.
In addition to reducing inflammation, far infrared therapy improves chronic lower back pain, chronic neck pain, phantom limb pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, menstrual pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic tension headaches.
With Love and Light,
Liraz
Liraz Bergman-Turner is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki Master & Reflexologist. She is the owner of Heavenly Embrace Wellness, a massage and energy healing practice in Boulder, CO.
Liraz is a gifted healer. Her massage was both strong and gentle, anticipating what was needed for each muscle. Her office is beautiful and relaxing. She has all the amenities for pampering and the strength for deep tissue. I loved the essential oils throughout. Highly recommend!
Photo credit: Shiatsu Loft Berlin via photopin cc
Additional resources:
Elements Massage – How Therapeutic Massage Can Relieve Headaches and Migraines
Mayo Clinic – Definition of Migraine, Tension, and Cluster Headaches
