Tension headaches

With the amount of stress we're dealing with in todays times headaches, migraines and sinus headaches are a common issue and come in many shapes and sizes. The most common would come from stress and tension being built up in the shoulders, neck and jaw which causes an aching pain in the back of the head. A tension

headache can be defined as a pain felt in the head that may be occasional, recurring or constant. This pain is caused by muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw. They are the most common tpye of headaches from migraines to sinus headaches.

Causes of a tension headache range from stess, injury, cervical subluxations and/or herniations, trigger points and adhesions, poor posture and finally TMJ (temporal manibular joint) or jaw dysfunctions. Tight bands of tissue in the neck, shoulders and muscle may cause trigger points (a knot affecting a nerve) which can send shooting pain into the neck and head causing a headache. The question mark pattern is one of the most common that arrises from a trigger point in the upper trapezius and shoots up into the back of the head and around the ear which looks like a question mark. The pain itself is often reffered or radiatin pain and not pain that originating in the head itself.

Some common symtoms are pain in the back of the neck/ head that ranges from 30 minutes to weeks. They often occur later in the day when trigger points are then activated. Their maybe me muscle spasms in the shoulders or back of the head. Lack of sleep due to pain and tenderness of cervical muscles. May be pain and/or lack of range of motion due to pain or muscle tightness.

Massage therapy is incredible with dealing with symptoms left behind and symptoms that cause tension headaches such as trigger points in the shoulders and neck, tension in the back of the head/ neck. Removing adhesions or knots in the back, neck and shoulders can be incredibly easy with consistant massage visits, normally 3-5 gets the job done. Massage therapy has been proven to lower tension all around the body and when also applied with RAPID neurofascial reset a treatment similar to active release it's almost guaranteed I can remove any symptoms that cause and have arrised from chronic and acute headaches. Massage treatment is also known to relieve stress and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol while at the same time increasing beneficial and mood enhancing hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. If you've been dealing with a lot of stress lately I couldn't recommen coming into Movement Performance and health as soon possible to deal with any issues or pain that has been plagueing your life.