Headaches

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 Here are some of the muscles that cause headaches 

Most headaches are caused by trigger points in the neck and head. 

I have had many clients tell me what causes their headaches: sinuses, food, coffee, odors, hunger, lack of sleep - the list goes on. But no one can tell me how these things cause headaches. That is, what actually mediates the pain, or makes a link between the causal factor and the pain itself. Obviously there is still much information missing. But in most cases, the pain itself comes from trigger points in the neck and head. And pain from trigger points in the neck and head can be relieved by releasing those trigger points. 

There are three categories of headache people (oversimplifying): 

severe headache people 

ordinary headache people 

no headache people 

No headache

You may have very tight, even painful, muscles in their necks, but they seldom if ever get headaches. 

Ordinary headache

You may get a headache now and then -- perhaps once or twice a month -- which is seldom severe enough to interfere significantly with work or activities, and which usually responds to over-the-counter pain relievers.

Severe headache

You may suffer tremendously. Not only do they suffer from the pain of the headaches, which is often disabling, but they suffer from loss of work, loss of the pleasure of leisure activities, and sometimes the thinly disguised impatience of others who don't understand what they're going through. 

Medical authorities have studied and categorized severe headaches to a high degree. I am certainly not an expert on the medical classification of headaches and their symptoms, but I suggest that, in addition to whatever regimen a patient's physician may prescribe, massage therapy, particularly along the lines of neuromuscular or trigger point work is well worth a try.   For example...

Splenius capitis (neck pain, headaches) 

Splenius capitis originates on the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae and inserts at the base of the skull. Trigger points in splenius capitis typically refer pain to the top of the head. Other adjacent and overlapping neck muscles refer pain to other parts of the head. 

Translation: "Splenius capitis" means "bandage of the head." It attaches below to the sides of the vertebrae of your neck and above to the base your skull. Trigger points in this muscle can cause pain (headache) at the top of your head. It is one among many overlapping neck muscles that can cause headaches.

Soft-tissue pain can mimic the symptoms of many disorders, and can also contribute to pain from other causes. In addition, many people engage in self-diagnosis. The word "migraine" has come to mean "a really, really bad headache" to many people. My professional experience is that massage therapy can often ameliorate or relieve a wide variety of headaches -- even migraines, even when medically diagnosed as such. And it is risk-free.