Posted on April 17, 2008 in Latest News
One in five individuals is a victim of headache or migraine. Headache is the pain and tension felt in a person’s head.
Most attacks of headaches are caused by muscular tension and trigger points in muscles which can refer their root pain to various points on the head.
Migraine is a different type of headache. It is a paroxysmal (repeatedly occurring and without warning) neurological disorder with several signs and symptoms. Migraine is thought by many experts to be caused by problems related to blood vessels and nerves in the brain. It is characterized by acute pain on one side of the head and often accompanied by sensitivity to light and at times, nausea.
Generally believed by experts to have no permanent cure, headache and migraine are now proven to show signs of rapid improvement with massage therapy. Since majority of headache instances can be traced back to muscle tensions and muscular trigger points in the neck, head and shoulders, massage and neuro-muscular therapy are often capable of providing complete relief.
While massage therapy treatment of headaches often focuses on upper body muscules, it is equally important to know that postues affecting the legs, pelvis, hips, and back can generate the muscular tension at the starting point of your headache. Therefore, a full body approach to treat your headache and migraine is usually the best option.
The treatment should be limited to 35-45 minutes in order to avoid exhaustion. The main reasons of the massage are to bring down pain, muscle spasms and to induce relaxation.
While experiencing a migraine attack the massage must be done very delicately and the areas massaged should be limited to shoulders, neck,face and head while lying in the supine position. Between attacks of migraine, you may want a more intensive treatment to include muscular tension and you might be able to bear it, lying on the stomach. During migraine, hydrotherapy may be employed. Applying ice on the neck may help reduce pain. Between migraine attacks,hot showers may help mitigate or even prevent future attacks.
May 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Another great migraine article! I always like read your blog so I always come back for more.