Headaches
•Headaches are on of the most common physical problems in the range of human experience.
•Headaches are mostly self-contained temporary problems, only peripherally related to other conditions of the body.
•Primary headaches are unrelated to serious underlying pathology.
•Secondary headaches are symptoms of other problems.
•Most headaches can be described in four categories:
•Tension
•Vascular
•Chemical
•Traction-inflammatory headaches
Tension and vascular headaches are the most common types of headaches and the most common denominator is the changes in serotonin levels. This may lead to dilation of arteries in the periphery of the brain. This excessive vasodilation stretches blood vessels, causing pain. The primary difference between migraine headaches and tension headaches is the triggers of the headache and the presence of absence of the throbbing feeling.
Tension: Tension headaches are triggered by mechanical stresses that initiate the CNS changes in serotonin levels and blood vessel dilation.
Triggers can be:
•Muscular, tendinous or ligamentous injury• Muscle tension in the suboccipital triangle or jaw flexors •Subluxation or fixation of cervical vertebrae. •Structural problems •Trigger points
Vascular- Triggered by food sensitivies, hormonal shifts, alscohol use and stress. The pain they cause comes from excersively dilated blood vessels in the meninges. They are characterised by pan that throbs with the patients pulse.
Migraines-
Extreme vasoconstriction Euphoria is sometimes felt but is mixed as the dread soon follows
•Huge vasodilation •Pressure against vessel walls and meninges •Increased risk of seizure and stroke.
Cluster- •Rare•Variety of vascular headache•Affect men much more than women•Night time pain- severe enough to wake•Eye and nostril to water•30 minutes-3 hours•Person may have one to four headaches every day for 4-8 weeks.
Sinus Headaches- •Vascular headache•Due to the fluid in the skull•Fluid is in sinuses rather than in the cranium•Allergies or sinusitis
Chemical Headaches•Chemical imbalance within the body•Very low blood sugar level•Hormonal shifts
•Dehydration- Hangover•Headache medication overdose
Traction inflammatory headaches: •Serious CNS injury/infection•Extreme fever•Bacterial viral precipitator•Usually subsides when fever passes crisis point•Severe, repeating and sudden onset-Red Flag
Treatment- •Prevention= better than a cure
•Headache journal
•Two categories of treatment-
•Prophylactic Abortive treatment
Contraindications of massage:
Depends on what type of headache
Suspicions of underlying pathology or bacterial infection should be referred but for most common types of headaches, massage can be an excellent treatment.
Massage Modalities:
•Deep tissue massage
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•Lymphatic Drainage
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•MET
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•Swedish
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•Trigger Point therapy
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•Myofasical release
References:
The concise book of trigger points- Neil Asher
A massage therapists guide to pathology- Ruth Werner, pub Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009
For more information call Sydney Allied Health Clinic on (02) 9559 8877
https://www.sydneyalliedhealthclinic.com.au
