Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/70065
YOU CAN SEE THESE TECHNIQUES IN MASSAGE & BODYWORK'S DIGITAL EDITION, WHICH FEATURES A VIDEO CLIP FROM ADVANCED-TRAININGS.COM'S ADVANCED MYOFASCIAL TECHNIQUES DVD AND SEMINAR SERIES. THE LINK IS AVAILABLE AT MASSAGEANDBODYWORK.COM AND ABMP.COM. The ears are effective handles for applying traction to the temporal bone (superimposed in blue). The temporal's petrous portion (medial, darker violet) houses the acoustic meatus and the internal carotid artery, which supplies the cerebral hemispheres, eyes, and forehead. Its medial end cradles the trigeminal nerve (yellow). Source images courtesy of Primal Pictures. Used with permission. With the External Acoustic Meatus Technique, use firm but gentle posterolateral traction with the external ear to feel deep into the fascial and osseous connections within the cranium. Active movement of the eyes and jaw can augment and broaden the release. Image courtesy of Primal Pictures. Used with permission. respond especially well when you add active movement of the eyes and jaw to extend the release into these structures (Image 7). DO GOOD WORK It is always a good idea to have your client check with his or her physician when there are recurring, severe, or persistent headaches, even if you are able to relieve the pain with the methods described here. In almost all cases, headaches are uncomfortable but benign; however, they can be a sign of other problems and a medical doctor should rule these out, just to be safe. Although hands-on work can provide welcome relief for migraine and cluster headache sufferers, it is wise to be optimistically balanced in our expectations about completely "curing" migraines. Migraines are complicated and seem to have multiple causes. Although I have had very good luck at relieving acute migraine pain in my practice (perhaps 90 percent), the percentage of clients who have reported an overall improvement in frequency or severity is somewhat lower than that (perhaps two-thirds have reported less frequent migraines, although I suspect this percentage could have been higher if we'd been able to do more frequent work together). Regularity seems to be an important key: the two studies cited in note 1 below, both employed regular, repeated sessions, and both found that this helped reduce migraine frequency, as well as provided other benefits such as improved sleep, etc. Whether or not we permanently "cure" our clients' vascular headaches, or simply provide them with welcome symptomatic relief, I'm confident you'll find that hands-on work can play an extremely useful role in managing the pain of migraines and in preventing the stress and myofascial strain that can trigger them. Trainings.com faculty, which offer distance learning and in-person seminars throughout the United States and abroad. He is also a Certified Advanced Rolfer and teaches for the Rolf Institute. Contact him via info@ advanced-trainings.com and Advanced- Trainings.com's Facebook page. NOTES 1. Two studies that show beneficial effects of hands-on Til Luchau is a member of the Advanced- work with migraine sufferers are: Maria Hernandez-Reif et al., "Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy," International Journal of Neuroscience (October 1998) 96: 1–11; and Sheleigh P. Lawler and Linda D. Cameron, "A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Massage Therapy as a Treatment for Migraine," Annals of Behavioral Medicine 32 (2006): 50–9. 2. Kirsten Hannan, "Orthodontic Braces and Migraine Headache: Prevalence of Migraine Headache in Females Aged 12–18 Years With and Without Orthodontic Braces," International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine 8, no. 4 (December 2005): 146–151. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 115