Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68175
WORKING WITH HEADACHES, PART I Musculoskeletal Headaches Take a guess: how many kinds of headaches are there? With Google and a few minutes, you can compile a list of hundreds of distinct types of headaches. These include, but are not limited to: cryogenic headache (after eating ice cream), hair wash headache (found most commonly in Indian women, whose hair, due to its length, is wet from washing a good proportion of the time, and thus heavy), coital cephalalgia (or "morning after" headache), ictal headache (accompanying seizures), thunderclap headache (sudden severe onset), and many, many more. How would you begin to formulate a coherent approach to dealing with headaches when there are so many kinds and causes? Fortunately, we can narrow it down. Headaches are conventionally classified as either primary (not caused by another condition) or secondary (you guessed it, caused by another condition). Examples of secondary headaches include those resulting from head injuries, from metabolic and medical conditions, etc. Although hands-on work can still help in many cases, these and other types of secondary headaches usually merit referral to a physician first. This is generally a good practice with any persistent or recurring headache.1 TENSION & OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL HEADACHES TYPICAL PAIN LOCATION COMMON PAIN DESCRIPTORS RESPONSE TO ACTIVITY SENSORY EPIPHENOMENA Bilateral "Pressure" or "squeezing" Usually no change Not commonly associated with nausea, light/sound sensitivity, or aura (unless comingled) REOCCURRENCE Variably intermittent or persistent HANDS-ON GOAL Reduce myofascial tension MIGRAINES & OTHER VASCULAR HEADACHES One-sided "Throbbing" or "stabbing" Usually worsened2 Consistently accompanied by either nausea, light/sound sensitivity, or aura (visual disturbances) Recurrent, with pain-free intervals Reduce cranial compression Comparison of musculoskeletal and vascular headaches. Comingled headaches, since they arise from both musculoskeletal and vascular causes, can have characteristics of both types. Approaches for working with vascular headaches will be covered in Part 2 of this column. Primary headaches are further subclassified as arising from either: 1. Musculoskeletal origins (such as tension headaches and others related to myofascial or articular restriction). 2. Vascular factors (such as migraines and cluster headaches). 3. Comingled causes (that is, arising from a combination of musculoskeletal and vascular sources). Musculoskeletal headaches are the most common, though not necessarily the most severe. In this first of two articles, I'll describe a few techniques from Advanced- Trainings.com's Advanced Myofascial Techniques series that are effective with this type of headache. In Part 2, connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 111