Massages for migraines can be an effective treatment if you’re suffering from seemingly relentless headaches.
Keep reading to find out how utilizing massage to treat your migraines could change your life.
Types of Headaches
It’s important to discern between the various types of headaches and migraines, because massage is not an effective treatment for all. The various types of headaches include:
- Vascular headaches – These include migraine, cluster, and sinus headaches. Vascular headaches can be accompanied by a number of symptoms including nausea, light-sensitivity, or visual disturbances. This type of headache is more common in women due to their hormonal makeup.
- Tension type headaches – This is the most common type of headache, and it can be confused with migraines. They are characterized by a tightening sensation, or the feeling of intense cranial pressure. The cause of tension headaches is unknown, and they can last from a matter of minutes to weeks.
- Traction-inflammatory headaches – This type of headache rarely occurs, but can be deadly when it does. Traction-inflammatory headaches don’t have one specific cause, rather they can be an indicator for a number of different serious issues within the body. Massage is not an effective treatment for traction-inflammatory headaches, and if you believe that you may be experiencing one you should seek medical care ASAP.
The Evidence
The effects of massage on people suffering with migraines has been the focus of several different studies. Let’s discuss the results.
One study conducted by researchers at the University of Grenada found that a 30-minute massage benefitted those suffering from a tension headache both physically and physiologically within 24 hours of the massage.
Another study found that massage can also be effective at reducing the frequency that participants experienced migraines, meaning that not only can massage help to relieve migraines once they start, but it can be effective at preventing them as well.
Massages for Migraines
Now that we’ve discussed the facts, let’s go over how you can effectively implement massage in your own life in order to treat migraines. Depending on how often you experience migraines, we recommend that you get at least a 30 minute massage once a month, or as often as once a week. Keeping up with massage appointments ensures that you’re not only getting relief from your migraines, but helping to prevent future ones as well. By making massage a self-care priority, you can not only manage your headaches and migraines but reap the multitude of other benefits massage can offer as well, including better sleep, relaxation, and improved mental state.
Let Enchanted Hands Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Help
If you think massages for migraines could help provide you with some relief, contact Enchanted Hands Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork today. Our licensed massage therapists specialize in migraine therapy, clinical massage, sports therapy, pre and post natal massage, and more. Call us today to schedule your first appointment and start your journey toward fewer migraines and headaches. We proudly serve the Salt Lake City, Utah, area.
