Can a Professional Massage Relieve a Headache?
Over 37 million people in the U.S. experience headaches frequently. Irrespective of where they stem from, whether they are a result of environmental issues, behavioral factors or even if they are stamped in your DNA, there is one underlying safe solution and that helps all. Message therapy. If you suffer from headaches and are researching your options, the best place to start would be with a licensed massage therapist because they are specially trained professionals adept at providing relief for a range of problems, including headaches.
There are various types of headaches and different massage techniques have been developed to deal with them individually. A good therapist understands the importance of finding out about the root of the problem before they know what treatment to employ. By specifically addressing the cause, such as a neck injury that brings on a headache, the therapist will vary the technique, so that it provides relief and at the same time might reduce the occurrence as well.
Two of the most common massage techniques to relieve headaches are:
- Deep tissue massage – Often muscle spasms lead to headaches. The best solution for these types of headaches is to get that specific muscle to relax. A combination of firm pressure and slow strokes are used to massage facial muscles located at deeper levels, hence the name. The massage is usually carried out with sweeping movements of the thumbs or knuckles. In addition to relaxing a strained muscle, the pressure applied helps to first diminish the headache and then provides soothing relief. A licensed massage therapist is a trained and specialized professional who will know how to perform the procedure.
- Trigger point massage – Similar to the deep tissue technique, this technique employs direct pressure over the strained muscle. The therapist initially seeks to find the source of the headache by determining which part of the head it is localized in. Let us consider the example of a throbbing headache at the top of the head. It starts at the top and has a ripple effect that filters down to the temples or around the eyes. Applying brief bursts of pressure at different intervals throughout the massage, including around the neck, helps to alleviate the headache and renders relief.
Important factors that determine the success of the massages
- The licensed massage therapist must use the perfect amount of pressure if they want to treat the cause of the headache as well as the headache itself.
- To ensure that each facial muscle is not only treated but that it receives the optimum amount of treatment, your massage therapist must concentrate his or her efforts on each part of the head.
Tips
- Having massages done once every four to six weeks will help to regularly alleviate muscle tension.
- You can ask your therapist to recommend specific exercise routines that you can perform at home. Conducting mini massages at home on the eyes, nose, mouth and jaw may mitigate the risk of a headache arising at all.
If you or any of your loved ones suffer from frequent headaches and are looking for a solution that would provide longer-lasting relief than medication, you should consider a a massage.
Contact Our Mobile Massage Clinic | The Villages, Florida
In Home or In Office Massages by Jacqueline in the Central Florida area. Certified for many different massages and treatments. Specializing in Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) post surgery recovery massage.
To schedule an appointment with Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Advanced Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist, Jacqueline Bosco CMLDT, Oncology, please call (813) 298-5603. We believe nothing is more important than human touch.
Providing massage services to patients in The Villages FL, Sumter County, Leesburg, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood, Bushnell and surrounding areas in Florida.