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Migraines
Looking for suggestions on techniques, massage blend, etc. for clients who experience constant migraine headaches.
Views: 303
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gloria Coppola on
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Elena
As an advanced cranio sacral therapist and I highly recommend this modality. Myofascial release techniques are awesome.
Also a good idea to rule out allergies, including food, hormone imbalances. Any history of head trauma? Neck injury? (Whiplash)...eye problems? or TMJ??
Check it all out!
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Permalink Reply by Jorge Arnaldo Pabón Acevedo on
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Well I use Acupressure, but first need to take analysis about the diet, it's best with caffeine free and that kind of stuff.
Good Luck!
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Permalink Reply by Don Johnson. LMT on
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Someone who suffers from migraines regulary should be encouraged to keep a log of what they were doing ,what they ate or drank, etc. before the migraine started. Caffiene is a big one. As for treatment I have had success stopping migraines using Myofascial release combined with Reiki but, only if you can work with them at the onset and these people know when its coming. The truth is once a migraine is full blown there is little you can do besides close the blinds,have perfect silence and a cold pack on the head and neck.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Jeffrey on
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Hi Don and Elena
the logging of the number of headaches is essential as so many of these clients have given up counting.
I would not work on anyone with a full blown migraine fullstop. But do use a very much lighter approach than usual if they have only "normal" headache eg triggerpoint massage (always scalenes seam to be involved) and head massage.
Ideally I will see the client without headache symtoms and treat all refering triggerpoints in neck, shoulders and upper back regions and rest of spine and gleutes if time allows
Nowadays I find inclusion of forhead massage (lymph drainage for conjested tissues) absolutely essential. I recently have had 4 clients suffering severe repeat migraines (astma seams prevelent in this group) with 3 out of the 4 no longer having Migraine strength headaches and less problems with astma ! The one currently not responding too well has been through a huge amount of emotional termoil so am hoping reiki will help her.
Its worth remembering that it is possible your treatment will trigger an attack and your client must be made aware of this before you proceed with treatment.
Regards steve
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Permalink Reply by Deborah E-Platt on
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Migraines have many causes as Gloria mentioned. In addition basic hydration is another key element for those dealing with constant migraine issues, as is slow deep breathing. Other triggers can include medications, stress related tension, artificial food colorings & additives, such as MSG.
Some healthfood stores carry a small tube of aromatherapy oils called Migrafew, which is helpful and it contains Feverfew (an herb that is widely used for those with Migraines)
I have found that aside from bodywork therapies, using energetic healing techniques such as Jin Shin Jyutsu are extremely helpful for pulling the energy down out of the head and clearing the "blockages" which have a beaver dam like effect. When this happens it creates a stagnant pooling of energy causing discomfort of pain in various areas of the body. Very often this involves the Gallbladder meridian, which can be addressed through Accupressure & Shiatsu techniques, or Reflexology as another avenue for working with it. Of course many other modalities can be equally effective.
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Permalink Reply by Roger D. Werstler on
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In this discussion,I've seen a number of sound suggestions for migraine treatments, but I find several that have worked best for me. A scalp, facial, and sinus massage are helpful. Postural distortions put an compromising stress on the neck, scalenes, and back. In particular, taking five to ten minutes to knead into the attachments of the rhomboids under the scapula has been amazing at releasing migraines for several days after the treatment. Doing weekly massages on my client who has suffered these headaches for nearly thirty years has showed amazing results. She leads me to transform her treatments by keeping track of good times and bad and guiding my hands into the areas that work best for her relief. I'm still learning and studying. Probably I always will be.
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I have a regular client with migraines. My treatment to her have been ongoing for three years now. Originally once a month, then bi-weekly, and now weekly. She recently had a severe shoulder strain.Her PTdiscovered that a release administered into the rhomboids and levator scapula not only gave the shoulder relief, but it was aiding in migraine relief as well. I have now added it to my weekly treatments and I'm teaching her husband to give this to her as well and prolong the success of her treatments.
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Permalink Reply by Deborah Herriage on
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I suffered from migraines from around age 16 and only recently have I stopped having them - usually twice a year or maybe more, depending on the season. Doctors do not know the etymology of a migraine headache. I had doctors call my headaches everything from "migraine syndrome" to "call for attention".
I will say this. The term is used lightly, but take my word for it, a what I call "true" migraine headache is extremely painful when it is in the acute stages. If you have a migraine headache, you cannot eat, you cannot have lights on, you are curled up in a fetal position, under the covers, behind a closed door, and you don't want anyone to talk to you, let alone touch you or massage you. There is usually projectile vomiting, crying, and complete immobility presented with migraine headaches. They can go on for days, and the intensity can vary enough for a migraine patient to walk around, but they are by no means able to work, or function normally. I would go so far as to say that morphine would be indicated as a fair means to treatment for the pain. Been there.
Over the years, I've tried any number of homeopathic remedies as well as pharmaceuticals. I have had allergy testing, CT scans, MRI, Spinal tap and myelogram, and just about every other test in between. Still, the exact cause of a migraine is just not known at this time. I've leaned toward hormonal imbalances and airborne and/or food sensitivities for a long time, but I still don't think these are exacting enough.
I recently read about women having a bit more connective tissue in the brain lobes, with a point towards the way women think and resolve problems as opposed to the way men do the same. Men approach problems with spatial right brain, solution oriented thinking, whereas women talk and work problems out from both right and left lobes. I often wonder if there is some correlation between the statistics of migraine sufferers showing higher numbers of women than men, and more connective tissue in the skull. This might seem like a reach, but I've been looking for answers for about 40 years.
I would caution against using massage on a person with true migraines, simply because the etymology is not know at this time. When someone tells me they have migraine headaches, I'm careful to question them tenderly so as not to offend them because they THINK they have migraines and maybe what they have is simply a headache from their hairstyle, from dehydration, from allergens, caffiene, etc., etc., etc. If someone does have true migraine headaches, they can still receive massage, just maybe not during the time they are experiencing a migraine. Just the right amount of pressure could send them into a raging vomit fest, or even cause them to lose consciousness.
If they've been diagnosed by a doctor who says they have "migraine syndrome" and they are taking medication to control the symptoms, I will use cold therapies, scalp massages (because the scalp DOES get very sore from migraines), and gentle but meaningful effleurage to the neck and shoulder areas. I also try to determine if they have TMJ syndrome, eye problems, ear, nose, and throat problems or pulmonary/cardiovascular problems.
Hope this is helpful. Migraines suck in the worst way.
;^)
Debo
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Green on
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Deborah: Thanks for putting a personal face on this discussion. I have had many clients use the word migraine for bad tension headaches. My experience is that if they want a massage during the headache it is not a migraine, and I address it as a tension headache. Massage can help manage the migraine and the individual stresses that contribute, but I have never had a person with a migraine keep their appointment when pain was present. On the other hand I find that for those who mistakenly call their condition a migraine, educating them must wait until after I relived the pain. In short if massage helps during the onset of a headache it is not a migraine.
Deborah Herriage said:I suffered from migraines from around age 16 and only recently have I stopped having them - usually twice a year or maybe more, depending on the season. Doctors do not know the etymology of a migraine headache. I had doctors call my headaches everything from "migraine syndrome" to "call for attention".
I will say this. The term is used lightly, but take my word for it, a what I call "true" migraine headache is extremely painful when it is in the acute stages. If you have a migraine headache, you cannot eat, you cannot have lights on, you are curled up in a fetal position, under the covers, behind a closed door, and you don't want anyone to talk to you, let alone touch you or massage you. There is usually projectile vomiting, crying, and complete immobility presented with migraine headaches. They can go on for days, and the intensity can vary enough for a migraine patient to walk around, but they are by no means able to work, or function normally. I would go so far as to say that morphine would be indicated as a fair means to treatment for the pain. Been there.
Over the years, I've tried any number of homeopathic remedies as well as pharmaceuticals. I have had allergy testing, CT scans, MRI, Spinal tap and myelogram, and just about every other test in between. Still, the exact cause of a migraine is just not known at this time. I've leaned toward hormonal imbalances and airborne and/or food sensitivities for a long time, but I still don't think these are exacting enough.
I recently read about women having a bit more connective tissue in the brain lobes, with a point towards the way women think and resolve problems as opposed to the way men do the same. Men approach problems with spatial right brain, solution oriented thinking, whereas women talk and work problems out from both right and left lobes. I often wonder if there is some correlation between the statistics of migraine sufferers showing higher numbers of women than men, and more connective tissue in the skull. This might seem like a reach, but I've been looking for answers for about 40 years.
I would caution against using massage on a person with true migraines, simply because the etymology is not know at this time. When someone tells me they have migraine headaches, I'm careful to question them tenderly so as not to offend them because they THINK they have migraines and maybe what they have is simply a headache from their hairstyle, from dehydration, from allergens, caffiene, etc., etc., etc. If someone does have true migraine headaches, they can still receive massage, just maybe not during the time they are experiencing a migraine. Just the right amount of pressure could send them into a raging vomit fest, or even cause them to lose consciousness.
If they've been diagnosed by a doctor who says they have "migraine syndrome" and they are taking medication to control the symptoms, I will use cold therapies, scalp massages (because the scalp DOES get very sore from migraines), and gentle but meaningful effleurage to the neck and shoulder areas. I also try to determine if they have TMJ syndrome, eye problems, ear, nose, and throat problems or pulmonary/cardiovascular problems.
Hope this is helpful. Migraines suck in the worst way.
;^)
Debo
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