Massage Those Regular Headaches Away

Headaches can be a real misery and sometimes it can seem as if you’ve tried everything to get rid of
them but they just keep on coming back. Painkillers can seem like the obvious choice because yes,
they do work – but then the headache will often return. If you’re really unlucky you may also end up
with a rebound headache which is common in people who take painkillers regularly. So, what can
you do?
If you doctor tells you that medically you’re fine and sends you away with instructions to relax more
and get some sleep, it might feel as though you’re not being taken seriously. If just getting more
sleep and less stress were the answer we’d have found a way to do it by now, and in any case…life
isn’t that simple. And you still have a headache.
Massage therapy might be a way out of the headache hell that doesn’t involve taking drugs that only
end up making the problem worse.
More Americans complain about headaches than any other medical condition. It’s thought that
around 45 million Americans suffer from headaches every year, and of course that’s only the people
who report them. Statistically, it’s around one in every six people – with more than eight million
Americans going as far as seeing their doctor about it.
How can massage help a headache?
Massage has two main benefits when it comes to beating regular headaches.
A massage can help headaches that are caused by trigger points, muscle spasms and general
tension. These are thought to be a major cause of headaches and a massage therapist has some
great tools to help give you relief from the pain – her hands. Some points on your body, like the back
of your skull can bring on a feeling of deep relaxation, and this spot is known to be a great place to
massage anyone who has tension headaches.
Regular massage helps to regulate hormones in your body that manage your mood, sleeping
patterns and appetite. We all know that if we’re feeling tired, if we have low blood sugar or if we’re
just in a bad mood we’re prone to getting headaches, so regulating the hormones responsible can
really help decrease the number of headaches you experience.
What else can you do about regular headaches?
There are other things that will help banish your regular sore heads, and your massage therapist will
be able to give you a bit of advice about what might work for you – as well as providing healing
hands. Make sure that you tell her about your work environment, sleeping habits and arrangements
and even things like how much coffee you drink because these are all potential triggers for
headaches that with a little tweaking could substantially reduce the number of bad heads you suffer
from.
With something as common as a headache, often it’s the simple things that can make all the
difference. A muscle tension easing massage can potentially relieve headaches caused by bad
posture, too many pillows or not getting enough exercise, reducing pressure on the nerves and
blood vessels that compound the problem.
So next time you reach to pop another pill, remember that masking the pain with a drugstore
remedy will not stop your headaches – so book yourself in for a massage treatment and give
yourself the gift of long term pain relief!

What to do when you’re too sick for a massage

Obviously, we’re all big fans of the healing powers of a good massage, and we love to tell you all about just how good a regular massage can make you feel. But there are times when a massage might not be the best way forward, and so if any of these apply to you, it might be better to reschedule for when you’re feeling better!

Coughs, colds and flu –  We get it, we know you’re feeling terrible and you’d really love to get a massage when you have the aches and pains of a bad cold. The thing is; it’s probably not going to do you as much good as it would normally. In fact, it might have the opposite effect on you. One of the great things about a massage is that it can help to boost your circulation and also your lymphatic system. If you’re fighting off a bug, the last thing your lymphatic system needs is to be made to work harder, which is what a massage will do. It’s already busy trying to fight the germs and carry them out of your system. Putting your body under pressure to work even harder when it’s already working as hard as it can to bring you back to health again can make you feel awful. If you’re feeling the effects of a cold, or a virus, just be kind to yourself. Cancel the massage, rest up, drink lots of chicken soup and come back when you’re fully recovered and able to feel all the positive effects of your massage treatment. If you attend a massage appointment when you’re feeling under the weather, you put yourself at a higher risk of catching another bug as you’re compromising your immune system by making it work harder. This is why massage therapists encourage their clients to not get a massage if they are unwell. The benefits are cancelled out by the pressure a massage can put on your immune system. You should definitely avoid Swedish and deep tissue style massages until you’re better as these are the massages that stimulate your circulation the most and can overload your system. It’s not always good to share. There’s no delicate way of putting this so we’re just going to come right out and say it; we don’t want your germs! Staying at home is best all round if you have something nasty, because you won’t feel any better for dragging yourself out to your massage appointment, and if we catch it, we won’t be well either! Most massage therapists are self-employed so illness can be more than just an inconvenience – it could mean that we are unable to work, losing us money, because we don’t want to pass the germs on to our other clients. We will be really pleased to see you again when you’re feeling better, but if you’re not sure whether you’re well enough to make your massage appointment, you probably aren’t. Cancel, re-book and take the day off.