Self Massage Therapy Techniques For Headaches

Robert Vignoli

Chances are if you are like most Americans you have had a headache, as a matter of fact when it comes to the rate of chronic headaches in America, studies have shown that roughly 45 million Americans suffer from them each year. While I would suggest that seeking the service of a professional massage therapist, many times you can utilize self massage techniques, which may speak to men more than females. The reason being, men still have a lower rate of seeking massage therapy services than women do. But these techniques will for everyone.

With men suffering slightly more than females, 25 million men on average, while female average about 20 million that experience chronic headaches. This represents a statistic of chronic headaches that is roughly 1 out of every 6 Americans. Here are some more startling statistics that might be alarming to you.

Headache statistics according to the American Headache Society:

• Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States goes to the emergency room with a headache or migraine.

• More than $1 billion is spent on over-the-counter medications to treat headaches and Migraines.

• The lost work due to migraine disease costs more than $13 billion every year in the U.S.

Follow these self massage techniques that are listed here and you will diffuse the severity of your headache or migraine.

1. Drink plenty of water before and after doing these massage techniques (most important)

2. Take your thumbs and press them firmly into the bridge of your nose, just underneath your forehead. Direction of pressure is in towards one another, pressure is firm but not causing pain. Hold for 7 - 10 seconds, breathy deeply. Repeat 2 -4 times

3. Take your thumbs and now place them just underneath your forehead, with the pads of your thumb very close to the bridge of your nose. But this time you will press firmly upwards towards your forehead, again not causing pain but utilizing firm steady pressure. Taking deep breathes while holding this pressure. Hold for 7 - 10 seconds and repeat if necessary.

4. Take both hands and pinch and then pull your skin tissue just below you eyebrows and hold. Direction of and pressure of pinch is away from face and pressure is firm, with a hold of about 5 -7 seconds and repeat.

5. Take your thumbs or your middle 3 fingers and press them firmly into the sides of your temple. You can add a slight circular motion here as well, this is very effective. Hold for 7 - 10 seconds using form but steady pressure.

6. Sinus suffers can press into the sides of their nose and move fingers firmly away from their nose towards their cheekbones. Working both sides at once and working multiple points along the ridge of your nose. Direction of pressure is in towards your face and moving away towards your cheekbones.

7. Optional: If you have something that is foam in nature or hard plastic protected with some padding, the goal here is to get something that you can put behind your head and lay the back of your head on just underneath your skull (sub occipital area)

I have tried these massage therapy techniques many times in the past with great results; most times headaches disappear almost immediately. If you have any other techniques I would love to hear about it, thank you.