Cold Stone Migraine Massage

Migraines are a debilitating problem for many, causing loss of work and time with family, and affecting one’s ability to function normally. Three women for every one man suffers from migraines; the onset is usually at menses, and 70 to 80 percent of migraine sufferers have a family history of headache.The prodrome, sometimes called the preheadache, may be experienced hours, or even days, before a migraine episode.

Symptoms of a preheadache include:

Visual perception of flashing lights, wavy lines or spots, or partial loss of sight
Tingling or numbness of the face
Confusion
Hypersensitivity to light and touch
Pain feeling heavy on one’s head
Sharp pain in one area, like a knife in one’s eye

How Does Cold Stone Therapy Work

How Therapeutic Massage Can Relieve Headaches and Migraines

Almost everyone has suffered the pain of a headache. Headaches can last for a few hours up to several days, and sometimes involve symptoms such as sensitivity to light and nausea. They can seriously impact daily life when they occur frequently or for an extended period of time. Massage is one natural alternative to allopathic medicine that can help relieve headaches while avoiding the side effects that often accompany prescription and over-the-counter headache medications.

Massage Therapy Can Relieve Headaches

Since many tension headaches and migraine headaches are accompanied by neck pain, headache sufferers find that manual therapies such as massage offer relief from headache pain and related symptoms. Because massage therapy relaxes tense muscles, relieves muscle spasms, improves blood flow and aids relaxation, it can be helpful for relieving the pain of both tension and vascular headaches.

How Does Massage Therapy Relieve Headaches?

Massage therapy helps to relieve both types of headaches by easing muscle tension, relieving muscle spasms, releasing shortened muscles and relaxing tension held in the muscles of the head, shoulders, and neck. When muscle tension eases, there is less pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that supply them. Oxygen-rich blood circulation improves, which also relieves pain. Massage therapy not only helps the muscles of the body to relax but also effectively reduces the anxiety and mental stress that can cause or exacerbate headaches. Regular, ongoing massage therapy can also help to prevent headaches by helping to reduce overall stress and the muscle tension that can trigger headache pain and by helping to maintain emotional balance.

The Most Common Triggers Of Migraine Are:

Stress

Caffeine addiction

Hormonal changes

Food allergies

Environmental agitation

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A three-pronged approach that includes aromatherapy, massage therapy and cold therapy can be effective in helping relieve the pain of migraine for many sufferers.

Aromatherapy: The first step in stopping a migraine is to calm the client, and one effective way to achieve this goal is through aromatherapy. Depending on the trigger, the client will in breathe different blends of oils. For example, if the client knows the migraine is the result of stress, we can use essential oils such as clary sage, spikenard, helichrysum and lavender. For an environmental trigger, we might try roman chamomile, lavender, peppermint and rosemary.

If the client is not sure which essential oil smells more appealing, we'll have the client breathe from each vial of oil, one at a time. Whatever they find most appealing, we will use that oil during the massage session.

Massage. After choosing an oil, I’ll perform a series of headache point release techniques to help the client reach a calmer state.

Cold therapy. The third phase of the treatment is to address the vascular component of the migraine. The therapist will need to try to reduce the overabundant blood flow to the head and brain with cold stones, thereby normalizing the blood flow. In doing so, the therapist will be reducing or removing the pounding sensation the client is experiencing in their head while helping to calm the brain. Many migraine sufferers love the feeling of the cold stones, and within a short amount of time start to feel relief.