Common Tension Headache Trigger Points

Headaches are about as common an ailment as anything these days. When these headaches are caused by stress or tension the ideal solution is pinpointing the source of this tension and working out the soft tissue to relieve your pain.

Admittedly it is always better to have someone else (ideally a professional) work these points than to do try and do it yourself. But sometimes you gotta do the best you can with what you’ve got.

Trigger points are tight spots within the muscles or fascia that cause pain locally or to other referred areas. So before you reach for the painkillers, give rubbing these trigger points a chance:

Suboccipital Trigger Point

The suboccipitals work to keep the head balanced on top of the spine. The sub-occipital muscles are antagonized by the jaw muscles. The jaw muscles, while they don’t affect spinal joints, do have a push-pull relationship with the suboccipitals. Both of these muscle groups routinely harbor trigger points that cause headaches and together are the source of most tension headaches. 

Temporalis Trigger Points

The temporalis trigger point is located just above the ears on the sides of the head. The temporalis should be considered in tension headaches. Pain in the upper or lower teeth and gums is the most common pain pattern with this muscle.

Some causes in temporalis pain patterns include chewing gum, tooth grinding, prolonged dental work, stress, emotional tension, jaw/bite alignment, nail-biting, and thumb-sucking.

Obicularis Oculi Trigger Point

The obicularis oculi muscles are found around the eyes. They control movements such as blinking, squinting, and closing the eye. Eyestrain and poor eyesight can cause problems with this muscle.

To treat trigger points of the obicularis oculi muscle, rub just under each eye and just above the cheekbone.  Be careful to avoid the eye socket.

Thenar Web Trigger Point

Relieving a tension headache by massaging the trigger point found in the thenar web can be done with simple finger pressure. Locate the fleshy part of the thumb and pinch from both sides of the web. Direct pressure to this area is one of the most simple and effective methods. Press and hold this point until the pain subsides and you feel the muscles relax.

Scalenes and Pectoral Trigger Points

The scalenes are often found in tension headaches and neck problems. Interestingly, pain in the scalenes is often felt in other areas than the scalenes themselves. When rubbing the trigger point within the scalene it is important to not massage this area vigorously or use tools.

The trigger point within the pecs is easy to find by touch. It is on the edge of a hollow directly underneath your collarbone. It is a soft spot between the deltoid and the pectoralis major. It can be rubbed with thumb pressure.  If that is inadequate, use the knuckles.

When this trigger point is relieved it tends to relieve a sense of constriction in the chest. You may feel that you have more space to breath in.

Remember: Before you go reaching for medicine, give rubbing these trigger points a chance!

Happy Trigger Pointing!

The Lazy Man’s Exercise

Most people know that both regular exercise and massage are great for your health. But a little-known fact about both is that they are nearly identical and their health benefits.

Both increase circulation, promote the flow of lymph throughout the body, tone the muscles, release endorphins, reduce stress and yes, burn calories! It is very common for one’s stomach to start rumbling unexpectedly during a massage. Burning calories can make you very hungry!

There is, of course, one major difference.

There is no cardiovascular benefit to massage like there is with exercise. In other words, it will not raise your heart rate which is an important benefit of exercise.

So the next time you don’t feel like working out but want to get all the same benefits (minus one) schedule yourself a nice long therapeutic or relaxing, depending on what you prefer, MASSAGE!

4 Natural Immune Boosters Simplified

It’s that time of year again (finally!) when the air cools down and the germs they start a-spreadin’.

With six kids all over the place, there’s not much that doesn’t walk through our door. Remarkably, we hardly ever get sick and when we do it is short lived and quickly kicked out by our immune systems. While genetics may certainly play a role in this, I also believe that 14 years of parenting experience and intuition have helped me find an immunity “sweet spot” that yields these kinds of results.

Certainly, adjustments will need to made to allow for individual circumstances. I do not profess to have found the all the answers but these are four things that have really worked for us.

No.1  Limit Processed Sugars

Processed foods are not healthy

It is common knowledge that processed sugars are toxic and lower our immunity. Aside from the junk foods we all know we should limit we have to be careful of how remarkably skilled the food manufacturers have become at hiding these processed sugars in things like condiments, cereals, dairy products and even pickles! Read the labels and look for anything that ends in -ose (fructose, sucrose, dextrose, etc.) as well as filler sugar substitutes like maltodextrin (it’s everywhere!)

No. 2  Learn to Use Essential Oils

Like anything powerful, essential oils must be used with skill and wisdom to ensure safety and efficacy. Educate yourself on whatever method you see fit as there are many. Also, use high-quality reputable oils from companies like doTERRA, Rocky Mountain, and Young Living. Investing in quality essential oils will make all the difference. Learning to properly use essential oils has truly empowered me as a mother and saved me countless trips to the doctor and even the ER on occasion.

No. 3  Skip the Flu Shot

I am a big believer in the idea that the human body and the earth can do things far better than we ever could synthetically. While there is certainly a time and a place for those with severely compromised immunity, the flu shot introduces more risk than benefits for those with reasonably functioning immune systems. Avoiding a common, ever-evolving illness like the flu is far less important than building a solid personal immunity.

No. 4  Avoid Chemically “Antibacterial” Substances

There are SO many products out there that “sanitize”, “disinfect” and “clean” by using chemically “antibacterial” synthetics like triclosan and bleach.

The problem, especially when it comes to hand sanitizers (which I avoid at all costs) is that they kill EVERYTHING both good and bad. Yes, there is healthy, good bacteria that we need on our skin and our digestive tract for healthy function. 

When we kill it all there begins to be an “imbalance in the Force” (for your Star Wars fans) between the microorganisms that inhabit our bodies. Fewer bacteria means more yeast (which is a fungus) which leads to different kinds of infections and problems. So if you see the word “antibacterial” or the phrase “kills 99.9% of germs” opt for a more natural soap, cleaners or hand sanitizer.

Pure Haven is easily the best company I have found out there for this because they skip the toxic chemicals altogether and are very effective.

Pair Theory: The Three to Five Day Rule

Often times when clients come to me they are in dire straits.

Their pain is so debilitating that they are unable to work, sleep or function normally. This tends to stem from long-term chronic holding patterns and neglect. Usually, when you are at this degree of dysfunction multiple subsequent sessions are required to retrain the body out of this cycle of chronic pain.

When retraining the body. It can get worse before it gets better.

In my experience, retraining the body is like retraining a toddler. It gets worse before it gets better. One of the keys in this retraining is appropriate repetition inside an optimal window.

After the initial session of unwinding and retraining the muscles, it is my experience that the client will feel significant or noticeable relief for the first one to two days. In between days 3 to 5 the symptoms will begin to return as the body reverts back to its old habits. It is most effective to receive a second session in this window between days 3 and 5 to reinforce the new habits of muscle release from the first session. Depending on the severity of the client’s pain, repetitive pair treatments may be required until the body embraces the new pain-free habits over the old chronically painful ones. We schedule these sessions one at a time based on the individual progress of each client.

How long will it take for my body to respond to massage therapy?

There is no way to know how quickly each person will respond because everybody is different. As always, I encourage my clients to listen to their body and book an additional massage session when they feel like they need it.

Occasionally I encounter a skeptic. They may question why I recommend that they come in so often or why they are not getting results as quickly as they hoped.

My response to them is usually this: give me as many months of regular massage treatments as you did years of neglecting your body and THEN tell me that what we’re doing is not working. All things considered, that is a relatively quick reversal of habitually chronic pain.

Pain Is Your Friend NOT Your Enemy

A Bad Reputation Pain has gotten a bad rap these days. So many people see pain as a negative force in their life but there are many virtues to this unpleasant experience. The body is designed to send signals indicating when a course correction is needed. Pain is one of these important signals. Typically pain […]

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