According to Dr Janet Travell, specialist in musculoskeletal pain, “It is now becoming clear that tension headaches are usually due to trigger points.” Trigger points are small knots that develop in muscles. These knots allow pain to travel to different areas of the body, often nowhere near the knot itself. For example, trigger points at the top of your neck can send pain directly to your eye. Although you may get some relief with a relaxation massage, long-term relief depends on correctly identifying and treating specific trigger points which are responsible for your pain. Trigger points can often be eliminated quickly and easily, sometimes within one or two treatments. Research shows that not only is massage effective at eliminating headaches, but the relief can last for months. As well, regular massage can actually retrain your nervous system to decrease the tension in your muscles on a more permanent basis.

Katie White
www.courtenaymassagetherapy.com