Massage Pain Relief Isn’t Just for Muscles
Massage therapy doesn’t just provide the obvious relaxation benefits but also offers various health benefits that can help you to feel your best.
Have you ever experienced nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, or stomach pain? Has all this come together with vomiting, and, most especially, a pulsing, throbbing pain on one or both sides of your head?
If you answered yes to most of these situations, then you’ve most likely suffered from a migraine headache. What were your go-to ways to manage each migraine attack? Did you just wait it out? Take medication? Does it include massage therapy?
Well, if you haven’t added massage, especially when you can add a convenient massage chair to your home, to your migraine management regimen, you should really reconsider that. Massage therapy has benefited a number of people suffering from migraines. Here, we’ll discuss a few things worth noting about massage therapy for migraines.
Massage Chairs Can Be Your Secret Weapon
Nowadays, massage chairs have become a new favorite among those who used to visit a massage therapist regularly. In addition to the relaxation you can get from a massage chair, the relief from tiredness, and fewer injured muscles, massage can provide a natural way to find some pain relief during those tension headaches and migraines.
Regular massage is so much more than a luxury or a nice break from your day, for so many it can provide such powerful benefits to conditions like migraines that ruin their quality of life. Massage chairs can be a one-of-a-kind healthcare tool if it is used correctly and on a regular basis. The deep tissue massage that these chairs can provide can help people to find consistent relief from their migraines.
Furthermore, it can be used to elevate your mood, encourage deep sleep, and work to bolster your immune system better. And best of all, you can tailor your massage easily for whatever you need at any given time based on your symptoms, pain, and time available.
Massage the Pain Away
According to the National Headache Foundation, over 45 million people in the US suffer from chronic, recurring headaches, 28 million of whom are dealing with migraines. Tension headaches and migraines are among two of the most common types of headaches and can be helped with regular massage. The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) states that it can be effective particularly for those who suffer from tension headaches.
Tension Headaches: Among adults and adolescents the most common type of headaches are tension headaches. These are muscle contraction headaches that result in mild to moderate pain that comes and goes over an extended time frame. Muscle spasms, trigger points, TMJ issues, neck misalignment, stress, hormonal or chemical changes, not enough water, and anxiety can all cause tension headaches. What sets them apart from the next type of headache is that they are typically not accompanied by other bodily symptoms like sensitivity to light.
Migraines: Migraines are a particularly tricky type of headache because the exact causes of them are unknown. However, genetics does seem to be a factor and some types of migraines are associated with inherited abnormalities in specific areas of the brain. Migraines range from moderate to severe pain, can last anywhere from four hours to three days, and typically take place about one to four times per month. Unlike tension headaches, migraines often come with symptoms including sensitivity to light, noise, or odors, nausea or vomiting, poor appetite, and upset stomach or abdominal pain.
Unending headaches can be so bad that people bring it up to their doctors, and unfortunately, there isn’t just one perfect solution to cure them. Different types of medication and treatments can be prescribed.
And if you suffer from chronic headaches, it’s very likely that you’ve tried several over-the-counter and even the prescription medications mentioned above. Those tend to only be a temporary relief. A more effective and longer-lasting headache aid can be found in massage therapy. It can help prevent them and help you to find relief if you notice one coming on.
How Does Massage Decrease Headaches?
- It boosts circulation in areas of the body that may be ischemic, aka lacking blood flow
- Minimizes the pain from aggravated trigger points
- Calms muscle spasms and reduces tension
- Helps with the body’s hormone regulation
The Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology states that massage is “resoundingly indicated” for everyday tension-type headaches. By addressing trigger points like those in your neck and shoulders, massage therapy can reduce tension throughout your body. Tension that often leads to headaches and migraines.
The best thing regarding massage for chronic headaches and migraines is that you can easily find a type of treatment without going to a therapist or doctor. Head and neck massagers have entered the market that have made a huge impact on people’s lives.
And now massage chairs themselves have been improved over time to offer great benefits for those dealing with headaches. Though you must always speak to a physician or therapist before trying out a massage chair for your symptoms, this is good news.
Are Massage Chairs Beneficial for the Circulation of Blood Around Your Head?
Studies have shown that massage can boost the circulation of blood and help the body to expel harmful poisons from the body, which can help to relieve migraines and chronic pain.
People with poor blood flow can be more likely to have certain conditions and illnesses such as flu, sore muscles, and increased weariness because of the buildup of lactic acids in the tissues. Better blood flow can help new blood cells to be produced and move freely as well as remove toxins from the body.
As the massage chair’s rollers stimulate your muscles and soft tissues by applying targeted pressure, it increases blood circulation throughout the body including blocked areas. This stimulation helps newly oxygenated blood flow around the body, giving the muscles and tissues the nutrients they need and lowering blood pressure.
Lessen The Pain You Feel In Each Migraine Attack
Most people who deal with migraines will tell you that the pain is something else. It’s not a typical headache and it can be so difficult to find relief or escape from the pain. Because migraine-associated pain is not your usual one-off irritating headache, it can be debilitating. In fact, it can get so intense and severe that it interrupts your daily life, preventing you from being productive and happy.
So, how can massage help lessen the pain and help you deal with the day-ruining effect of migraines?
Massage therapy addresses the muscles, tendons, and joints where the pain is coming from. In most cases, this is done by using just the right amount of pressure required in specific and pinpoint areas to loosen knots and allow the surrounding tissues to relax. At the same time, massage therapy stretches targeted areas in your body, allow your body as a whole to relax, significantly reducing migraine-associated pain.
Additionally, by manipulating other areas of your body, a massage can actually help to distract the brain from the pain of a migraine and focus it on areas where you’re experiencing relief.
Imagine that stretching, deep pressure release of a good massage. Well, it’s that exact same sensation that catches the attention of your body’s nerve fibers. The same nerve fibers, mind you, that are being bombarded with signals that are telling your body that you are experiencing discomfort from a migraine. Basically, as migraine pain signals are sent through the nerves they’re competing with nerve signals delivering relief from your massage. And guess which one usually wins?
That’s right. Most of the time the relief signals win. It doesn’t sound so surprising that massage chair therapy is seen as an effective manual and non-pharmacological therapy for migraines now, does it?
But that’s not all.
Deal with Migraine-Associated Nausea
If you’re familiar with acupressure, you may be aware that during this Chinese treatment certain points in your body are pressed and stimulated to trigger a corresponding physiological response in your body. Well, quite a few massage chairs use this very popular technique to provide relief from a number of issues while you’re enjoying a relaxing massage session.
Gentle yet firm pressing sensations on certain points on your body are the manipulations used in acupressure to bring holistic relief and relaxation. And one of the acupressure points that can be stimulated can help with nausea.
For migraine, a study has shown that the acupoint PC6, when stimulated with the correct acupressure techniques, can be quite successful in the management and treatment of migraine-induced nausea.
Manage Migraine Attacks By Reducing Stress Levels & Promoting Better Sleep
Another beneficial effect of massage therapy is that it lowers the level of the stress hormone cortisol in your body. It relaxes tense muscles and calms down your body’s “fight or flight” cycle. A great deal of research shows that stress and migraines are closely related and that it can trigger your migraine attack at any given time.
So, when you manage stress by receiving a relaxing massage, you lessen the likelihood of suffering from another painful migraine attack.
And what about sleep? Yes, it appears that poor quality sleep and not enough of it can also trigger a migraine. If you want to prevent further migraine attacks, improving your sleep health should certainly be your aim as well. This is because sleep and migraine headaches have a shared chemical factor- serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for sending a number of messages to your brain, one of which is the cue for sleep.
Surprisingly, when there is a decrease in serotonin in your body, a migraine can develop.
Massage has been shown to improve sleep by lowering the levels of the stress hormone cortisol and boosting the levels of serotonin. In this way, massage therapy can be a win-win. You’re increasing serotonin to help you sleep better and that boost also helps to reduce the chances of getting a migraine.
The bottom line? Regular massage chair use can help keep migraine episodes at bay since it can help you sleep better.
Massage Chairs for Migraines
So, as you can see owning a massage chair can help you to prevent the occurrence of migraines and allow you to find some relief when one does develop. By allowing your body to relax, boosting the body’s natural painkillers and healthy sleep chemicals, and providing you with a way to stimulate acupressure points that fight nausea, massage chairs can be your secret weapon when you often have to go into battle with the dreaded migraine.
Best of all, they can be used in your home with no appointments, travel times, or changes in clothes necessary. They truly are an aid to all those dealing with migraine attacks.
Finished With Your Research?
With a luxury massage chair from MassageChairPlanet.Com, you can enjoy relief from your headaches in the comfort of your home whenever you need it. You won’t have to try and schedule with a therapist and potentially wait weeks for an opening.
You can look into the chairs, techniques, and other benefits of massage in the Learning Center on our website, and you’ll be able to see the number of other physical benefits that these chairs can provide. Additionally, in the Massage Chair Buying Guide, we talk about which chairs are good for certain desires and needs, and it can help you with your search for a massage chair for your workplace.
If you have any questions about massage chairs or our services, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re available over the phone or through email at info@massagechairplanet.com. You can even talk with us through the LiveChat on our website.