Tired of reaching for the pill bottle for seemingly constant headaches? Headaches stem from a variety of issues, and believe it or not, a massage technique known as trigger point therapy can be just as beneficial and a much healthier alternative for assuaging the pain.
Dr. Janet Travell was the leading pioneer in trigger point therapy, and probably was best known as the White House physician during the Kennedy administration. Dr. Travell played a huge part in treating his debilitating muscle pain that threatened his career.
Trigger point therapy is based on certain points in the muscles that when massaged can aleve pain in parts of the body. It may be at the spot of pain, but often the point will be located elsewhere and refer back to the painful area, kind of like satellites. That is why you can sometimes rub a painful spot with no relief. For example, you may feel pain in your head, but when a therapist applies pressure to a specific area of your shoulder the pain dissipates.
So what does this mean for your constant headaches? There may be irritated muscles that don’t even hurt contributing to your pain. If those are found and worked correctly by a trained therapist, you may find the pain in your head happens less and less often.
For sinus headaches, a therapist may work areas beside your nose, forehead and even the muscles of the jaw. For frontal headaches or side of the head pain, often the culprit will be found in the shoulders, jaw (especially if you suffer from TMJ), back of the neck, or even muscles in the front of the neck. Other common areas include the long muscles that extend from the neck down through the back.
For trigger point therapy to have truly lasting results more than one session may be required. Many trigger points do best if worked on in short sessions multiple times throughout the day, so it would also be beneficial to ask your therapist to show you how to work on the areas on your own. He or she can also work with you to find issues such as bad posture and weak muscles that you can change and develop. A good therapist will want to empower you to help heal yourself.
Finding a good therapist with knowledge in trigger points is the first step in getting relief from constant headaches. Check with us to find a therapist and even schedule an appointment online.
