Self-Massage For Headache Management

If you don’t have the time or the money to get a professional massage or you simply prefer to do it yourself, here are few simple techniques for self-massage that can help you manage your headaches:

Gently turn your head to one side, then the other, to stretch your neck muscles a little bit. Then gently shake your head, if it doesn’t make the pain worse, and use your fingers and thumbs to massage the back of your head and neck.

• If tense neck muscles are contributing to your problem, sit in a comfortable chair and gently let your head drop until your chin almost touches your neck. Then gently massage the muscles on the back of your neck. Pay extra attention to any knots you feel.
• Massage both sides of your upper head, from your temples to the area directly over your ears. Using fingers or thumbs, massage with a circular motion.
• Place the palms of your hands on the sides of your head, with the bottoms of the palms at temple level. Press in slightly, then move your hands slowly in a circular motion: up to your crown, toward the
  back of your head, then back down to starting position. Repeat 5 times.

Another self-massage technique involves the traditional Chinese medicine concept of meridians (the invisible channels in the body that transport the qi). Headaches in the temples, forehead, and back of the head are believed to stem from blockages in the gall bladder meridian, which runs from the fourth toe up the body to the top of the head. Clearing energy blockages in this meridian may help reduce headache pain or eliminate it altogether. To do so, you’ll need to massage the meridian at a specific point on the outer thighs.

You can find that point by standing straight with your arms hanging loosely at your sides. Without reaching or stretching in any way, touch each middle finger to its corresponding position on the outer thigh. The spot that you naturally touch is close to the spot you need to massage, but you may have to probe around a little to find just the right place. It should be a little tender if you’re in the midst of a headache. Firmly massage the spot using a circular motion for 10 seconds, then stop for 10 seconds. Repeat several times, using this onand-
off pattern.

If you have a migraine headache, rather than massaging the spot, gently brush it with your fingertips, using the 10-second on-and-off pattern.


See Also:

• Getting the Most Out Of Your Massage
• Massage Therapy