Let's take a minute to discuss Chronic Headaches. There can be many reasons for these and a few reasons are as follows: dehydration, postural imbalances, previous injury, cavities or jaw bone decay, food allergies, addictions, visual dysfunction, sinus pressure and chemical sensitivities. Holy guacamole! You didn't know that there could be so many possibilities did you? Well, I want to just focus in on two of these, as they are the most common, and go from there.
Postural Imbalance and Dehydration are the most common headache issues I see on a massage table. Most people think it is stress or tension and those factors will increase and exacerbate the symptoms related to the cause. Posture, even though by passed frequently, is commonly the most integral cause of these painful and annoying complications. Outside of the best possible thing one could do, which is to visit a CBP chiropractor. The next best thing would be to schedule for your next massage therapy session with a therapist prepared to give you a serious stretch session, accompanied by trigger point therapy and myofascial release techniques.
The occipital ridge, at the base of the skull, is full of trigger spots that will commonly be very sore, even under mild pressure. These pressure points are very helpful in the treatment of chronic and especially mild headaches. There are some very specific things that a professional massage therapist, who has experience in these areas, can do to greatly reduce or eliminate these headaches for the day or the week. Without ongoing care however, massage may not completely correct the problem. Taking appropriate steps to learn about your posture and how it effects your health will be key to really making a long term improvement.
If a pill isn't your idea of significant help (which it shouldn't be) then I suggest scheduling weekly visits to your massage therapist with a focus on neck, shoulder and occipital muscle work until the headaches are down to a dull roar or well managed. Accompany this with regular treatment from a CBP program and you really should be having some positive, long term, changes.
Drinking water is very important for everyone. Mountain Dew is not water and neither is Tea or Coffee. Sodas are a no, no, and I highly suggest taking all these things minimally and drinking pure drinking water as much as possible throughout each day. A person should drink half of their body weight in ounces (unless directed differently by your Dr.) So a 200 pound man should drink 100 ounces a day. Sound like a lot? Start with 64 ounces and work your way up. Your entire body will thank you for it and it may diminish your headaches.
