A lot of people are under the impression that the only thing you can do as a solution to your migraines is to pull the blinds, turn the lights off, take some sort of over-the-counter pain medication, and lie in bed for days and hope that the migraines eventually go away.
But migraines and headaches are almost always just shoulder and neck tightness. This could be a result of an extra-curricular activity injury you got years ago, one too many headers while playing soccer, a car accident where you were rear-ended, but most often it’s because of what you do for one-third of your life — and that’s sleeping in a crappy position for lack of a better word.
In this article, we’re breaking down what migraines are, what causes them, and how our bodywork method will relieve you from your migraine headaches.
What is a Migraine?
A migraine is a headache that is intense or severe and often has other symptoms in addition to head pain. These are the symptoms that are associated with migraines:
- Nausea
- Pain behind one eye or ear
- Pain in the temples
- Seeing spots or flashing lights
- Sensitivity to light and/or sound
- Temporary vision loss
- Vomiting
Migraine headache pain is usually on the moderate to severe end of the pain spectrum. Some people may experience headaches so severe they seek care at an emergency room. Migraines can have symptoms that last anywhere from a few hours to several days.
A migraine headache usually affects one side of the head, but it is possible to experience pain on both sides. Unfortunately, migraines often make performing daily tasks extremely difficult.
The Difference Between a Migraine and Headache
Headache pain can range from mild to severe, and they usually occur on both sides of your head. Some specific areas where headaches can occur include the forehead, temples, and back of the neck. One of the most common headache types is a tension headache according to the Mayo Clinic. You can learn more about taming tension headaches here. Tension headaches aren’t the only type – there are also cluster headaches and sinus headaches.
The difference between a migraine and a headache is that headaches are actually a symptom of a migraine. When most people hear the term migraine, they often think of a severe headache. But headaches are only one symptom of migraines, and they can range in severity and length.
The Cause of Migraines and Headaches
Migraines and headaches are almost always just shoulder and neck tightness. This could be a result of an extra-curricular activity injury you got years ago, one too many headers while playing soccer, a car accident where you were rear-ended, but most often it’s because of what you do for one-third of your life — and that’s sleeping in a crappy position for lack of a better word.
It’s the repetitive things you do in your lifetime that accrue. And your sleep posture is one of those things along with the posture you maintain while you spend hours sitting at a desk. In this video, Founder of Moench Method Bodywork, Ken Moench, Jordan Daughtery, LMT, and Chris Nowels, LMT talk about why your sleep posture is so important, and the effect it has on the muscles in your body.
When you sleep in the scrunched-up position that most people do (see image below), it causes the muscles in your shoulders to be smashed, your nerves are being blocked as well as the blood supply to and from the shoulders is blocked.
Ultimately, these things create an overall imbalance in your body. One of the biggest dysfunctions that this causes is tightness in the body in the areas mentioned above.
How to Relieve Migraine Using Our Bodywork Method
Lifestyle changes such as fixing your sleep posture are your surest bet to prevent, alleviate, and eliminate migraines. And we help people with this through our bodywork method. Our Founder Ken Moench helped remove migraines from a woman who had migraines for almost 15 years – watch the video below to learn more about the different ways migraines are caused and how the Moench Method is used to treat migraines.
Our method uses a combination of myofascial release, ischemic pressure, and deep tissue massage to lengthen your fascia (or soft tissue) so that your muscles can take their original shape. Lengthening the tissue is what stops a muscle from painfully pulling at any attachment points – in the case of a migraine, your shoulders and neck are the attachment points that are ultimately where the dysfunction lies that is likely causing your migraines.
When a client comes in to get treatment for migraines, what we do most often is open up their hip flexors so that they can be comfortable on their back. This helps them stop turning on their side smashing their shoulders all night long during their sleep. This takes the pressure and tension off of the back of the head and neck.
After opening up the hip flexors, we focus on opening up the chest and the neck area. Our goal is to focus on the elements that are pulling on the head that are blocking the blood supply and lymphatic drainage to and from the head. What this is doing is decreasing the pressure that is inside of a person’s head in order to get rid of all of the symptoms of a migraine or the reasons why a migraine might start.
We’ve helped hundreds of people get back to doing the things they love, migraine-free. If you’re tired of constantly being stuck with a migraine and are looking for a solution that solves the root cause of your pain, book an appointment at any of our 3 locations or give us a call at 512-244-6241 with any questions at all.
Proudly serving thousands of people with our chronic pain and migraine relief treatment all across the Greater Austin, Texas area in cities like West Lake Hills, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Lake Travis, Leander, and more!