Have you ever locked yourself in a dark room because of a headache, purely hoping that the respite of sleep will continue when you wake up and are no longer in pain? You hope that the throbbing behind your right eye will go away, that the bright light won’t bother you, and that every little sound won’t intensify the throbbing pain through your skull. This is not always the case, of course.
Maria’s story
I have a client; let’s call her Maria (not her real name). Mary has persistent headaches. They usually start small and stay with her for long periods of time, sometimes days or even weeks. Periodically they get very bad and end up like the situation mentioned above, but they are usually more annoying.
I was under the impression that I suffered from migraines… all the time. His doctor gave him this impression.
Mary can usually manage her headaches with over-the-counter (OTC) medications and rest, but she finds much relief with massage. She even had some experience with prescription migraine medications at the suggestion of her doctor. Drugs and rest often don’t fix the problem and tend to prolong the time between her much-needed bodywork.
One day, when the medications weren’t working, she decided to try a massage. This is where I enter the story. After some questioning and some testing, I found many structural issues, including the scoliosis that she had been diagnosed with as a child. I also identified the bad physical clothing you have that contributes to a lot of muscle tension. This tension was responsible for tension headaches that sometimes turned into migraines, but usually didn’t.
These were the persistent tension headaches I was having, not the migraines. This not only explained why the migraine medications weren’t helping, but also why the headaches sometimes felt so different from each other.
Headaches are at best a nuisance, and at worst they can be completely debilitating, to the point of losing work or having fun with friends and family.
Taking care of your headaches
How do you get the help you need for your headaches? Many people rely on acetaminophen (Tylenol is the non-generic name) or ibuprofen. Over-the-counter headache medications often work for a common simple headache, but they rarely address the underlying cause and can barely alleviate the worst of headaches.
The next step is often doctor’s appointments, time off work, and prescription drugs. You have other options. According to a study in the American Journal of Public Health, one study demonstrated that headache frequency was “significantly reduced within the first week of the massage protocol” and “The duration of headaches tended to decrease over the period of massage treatment”. In other words, massage is more effective in treating and preventing headaches than any type of medication. They are usually a cheaper and more pleasant experience, and with few or no negative side effects.
Although there really is no substitute for a qualified and experienced bodyworker, there are some things you can do to help yourself.
meat and potatoes
Let’s first talk about headaches in general. Headaches are one of the most common physical problems for humans, and up to 90% of adults in the United States experience at least one every year. Headaches are rarely an indication of a serious underlying disorder, but they can still be very difficult and can lead to problems at work, social life, family, or even love life.
Headaches can be classified into 4 categories: tensional, vascular, chemical, and traction-inflammatory.
- Tension-type headaches they are by far the most common type of headache experienced by people (90% or more). They are triggered by muscle tension caused by physical or emotional stress, bone misalignments, TMJ disorders, and other musculoskeletal imbalances. Many people confuse a tension headache with migraines.
- vascular headaches they include the infamous migraine, cluster headaches, and possibly sinus headaches. Approximately 1 in 20 headaches falls into this category. Triggers include food or odor sensitivity, alcohol use, changes due to menstrual cycle, etc. They can even start as a tension headache and progress to a migraine.
- chemical headaches they are due to chemical disturbances, most commonly due to dehydration, low blood sugar (“hunger headaches”), or hormonal changes, but they can also be caused by medications such as pain relievers, or drugs such as caffeine.
- Inflammatory traction headaches they are the rarest and most dangerous type of headache. They are sometimes called “secondary headaches” because they are a secondary symptom caused by something else underlying, such as a tumor, an aneurysm, a nervous system infection such as spinal meningitis, or even inflammation due to trauma such as a car accident. .
Of the 4 types of headaches, tension headaches are really the only ones that are treated quickly after the headache has already started. Vascular and chemical headaches can be addressed to some degree, especially if they start out as a tension headache, but are usually treated on the preventative end of the spectrum. Traction inflammatory types can be an indication of a serious or life-threatening problem and should be under the care of a physician or other licensed healthcare professional. So what can you do about the first 3 types of headaches?
The old “waiting” headache is taking an over-the-counter medication. Those can do a lot for your average headache, but the drug must be processed by the liver and kidneys and can have serious side effects, especially over time. According to www.painkillerawareness.org, more than 16,500 deaths in the US are caused by kidney failure each year related to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. Tylenol can damage the liver and contribute to cirrhosis (fatty liver that can cause health problems or even death).
Other drugs can be just as bad or worse and a bit more expensive, not to mention require expensive doctor’s appointments to prescribe.
Instead of medication, consider other treatment methods such as massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, to name a few. I urge you to educate yourself and try alternative options. The benefits are vast as well as being enjoyable. Your body and mind will thank you, and spending time away from people in a dark room, hoping the pain will go away, will be a thing of the past.
