If you’re one of the nearly 40 million Americans who suffer from migraines, or one of many others who deals with other headache types, you may be looking for both solutions and explanations for their cause. One of the top such explanations for many headache sufferers: Stress, and the resulting issues stress tends to create.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, stress reduction is one of our top themes, both within our float therapy solutions and numerous forms of massage – deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and several other types, many of which are intended specifically to help relieve stress. Massage therapy often has fantastic results for those dealing with persistent headache symptoms, generally due to both stress reduction and similar themes. Here’s a primer on how we’ll help with your headache issues, including a bit specifically on tension headaches that some people experience.
If you visit our massage therapists for assistance with your headache issues, the first thing we’ll do is speak with you about your symptoms and where they’re bothering you. This may involve both a verbal conversation and perhaps a physical examination – you’d be surprised by how many clients know they’re having pain, but may require a bit of further probing to understand the actual origination sources of that pain.
We’ll find out these details, identifying any important areas of your musculature that are involved in creating pain. We’ll inquire about the duration and intensity of your headache pain, plus the triggers that tend to cause it.
Using the above information we gain from you, plus our own observations, we’ll begin crafting a plan for the ideal massage therapy technique or techniques to recommend. One common type of massage that’s often used for headache pain is trigger point therapy, which involves finding muscle tension in a specific area and relieving it – but there are also other types that may work well for your symptoms. We’ll consult with you fully before moving to any specific techniques.
What about those who suffer specifically from tension headaches, or headaches with pain on both sides of the head that are often associated with muscle pain? Many people who experience these headaches consistently will prefer a form of item-assisted massage, such as our warm bamboo massage or other forms of hot stone massage that are often offered. These hold great benefits for the nervous system, and the heat involved also helps soothe tension and limit pain symptoms in many cases. Again, however, whether you utilize this or another technique will depend on your precise symptoms.
For more on how massage therapy benefits those who deal with headaches, or to learn about any of our massage or float therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.