Massage and Headache Relief
The treatment of headaches depends on their root causes—and massage therapy has emerged as a powerful, drug-free option for many. Whether you’re dealing with migraine headaches, cluster headaches, or a chronic tension type headache, massage is more than just a feel-good experience—it’s a science-backed therapy that can treat headaches at their source.
Symptoms, Causes, and Types of Headaches
Generally, headaches are conditions when people feel an uncomfortable throbbing pain in their head or neck area. However, do you really know what the leading cause of headaches is? Based on the causes, there are two types of headaches:
Primary Headache Primary headaches are not dangerous because they are not caused by other health or structural problems. Tension and migraine headaches are two examples of primary headaches. The causes of primary headaches include insomnia, stress, work pressure, dehydration, and other things related to daily problems. Once you can deal with the problem, the pain will ease up naturally.
Secondary Headache Unlike primary headaches, secondary headaches may occur due to underlying diseases. In other words, the headache may be a symptom of certain dangerous health conditions such as head injuries, infections, brain bleeds, and even tumors. As mentioned above, a tension headache is included in primary headache, and one of the ways you could deal with this condition is through massage therapy. Most people may depend on the use of painkillers for their chronic headaches, but if you know the benefits of massage for headaches, you don’t need painkillers anymore.
Benefits of Massage for Chronic Tension Headaches
One of the benefits of a full body massage is that it releases muscle tension and pain, which is commonly applied through fingers and hands, though there are some techniques that use elbows and feet. In the matter of dealing with tension headaches, studies have found that an amazing benefit of massage therapy is to help relieve the throbbing pain caused by headaches.
Help Maintaining the Level of Relaxation
Massage therapy is an effective solution for maintaining relaxation. Tense muscles may lead to headaches. That’s why getting a massage regularly may help maintain the level of relaxation in your body, and as a result, could prevent tension headaches and migraine attacks. So, instead of taking painkillers, it’s better to spend some time getting a massage. Further studies also stated that massage therapy reduces the symptoms of depression.
Could Act as Stress Relief
There are a lot of factors that could cause stress. Workload pressure, personal matters, and an unsupportive environment are just some examples of conditions that cause stress. However, stress is not only in your head but could manifest in your body as well. When your body and mind can no longer deal with stressful situations, a condition like a headache may occur. Massage therapy will help release tension, heal headaches, and relieve stress.
Solution to Tensed Muscles
Most people may not know that headaches could be caused by tensed muscles or muscle spasms as well. When your muscles are tensed, your body will suffer stressful conditions without you realizing it. However, when your body is under pressure, a tension-type headache is likely to occur. So, instead of taking painkillers to treat the headache, we recommend that you get a massage to release the tension in the muscles. When your muscles are relaxed, your headache will go away naturally.
Promotes Better Sleep Patterns
Stress and tension are two of the top causes of insomnia. Insomnia is one of the conditions that could lead to headaches. There are a lot of health benefits to deep sleep, but when you lose the chance to have a good night’s sleep, your mood will be in danger. Massage is one of the best solutions to promote better sleep patterns. So, if you have an insomnia problem, it is probably the main reason why you have frequent headaches. Instead of taking painkillers as short-term solutions, massage is a safer, healthier long-term solution.
Increases Serotonin Level
Some studies have stated that massage could help stimulate the production of certain hormones, one of which is serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for regulating your mood, appetite, and sleep pattern. When serotonin in your body is at a low level, stress is the first symptom that you will face before a tension headache begins.
Help in Regulating Mood
As mentioned above, one of the natural ways to regulate your mood is by making sure the serotonin level in your body is at a safe level. Massage is one of the solutions to help maintain the serotonin level and to help regulate your mood, always in check. The use of aromatherapy could optimize the process because one of the health benefits of lavender oil is to improve mood.
Improves Appetite
There are a lot of factors that could cause someone to lose their appetite. Appetite loss is mostly temporary, but if it becomes a frequent problem, perhaps you should find a solution right away. When you lose your appetite, your body will lose some essential nutrients for metabolism. Unhealthy metabolism could lead to certain conditions like headaches, which are an indication that your body is suffering from certain nutrient deficiencies.
Optimizes the Blood Flow
Massage therapy has been used to relieve muscle tension and, in the process, also increases blood flow. When blood cannot flow normally, a headache may occur because the head area is not getting enough oxygen. One of the benefits of oxygen is the optimal function of cognitive and brain function. In other words, when blood is flowing optimally, conditions like a chronic tension headache could be prevented.
Reduces the Medication Usage
The easiest solution to deal with headaches is by taking painkillers. However, medication or drugs are not without side effects. That’s why we highly recommend finding an alternative solution to get rid of your headache. As mentioned above, massage could help prevent headaches and also treat headaches by dealing with the root of the problem. In other words, there is no point anymore for you to take painkillers to relieve head pain if you could do a massage.
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Massage Techniques That Make a Difference
A trained massage therapist will customize a massage protocol based on your specific symptoms. Techniques like trigger point therapy, manual therapy, and deep tissue massage are often used to target the temporalis muscles, shoulders, and neck areas—regions that often harbor tension and active trigger points.
Trigger point massage uses firm pressure on localized muscle knots to relieve pain in connected areas, while deep tissue and hot stone massage work to break down chronic tension and promote circulation.
The results of massage therapy are cumulative. During a consistent treatment period, you’re more likely to see lasting improvements in headache intensity, average duration, and overall well-being. In one control group studied, participants who received regular massage reported better sleep, lower stress levels, and fewer headache days compared to those who didn’t.
Massage therapy is an excellent alternative solution to help relieve headache pain. However, if the headache pain persists or gets worse, it is time for a visit to your doctor. Our massage therapists at Body Ache Escape are eager to meet you. Through their talented hands, they can relieve your pain. A massage therapist will use trigger point therapy, Swedish Massage, and deep tissue massage to relieve headache pain, neck pain, and muscle spasms. Schedule your massage today!
