63% of Men and 86% of Women experience headaches

#caymanmassage #wellness #headachemanament #RMT #TMJdysfucntion #tensionheadaches

There are many classifications of headaches, 12 to be exact, but regardless of the type of headaches you are experiencing they can range from being a mild annoyance to a serious medical warning sign. The most common headaches we treat are tension headaches which are headaches cause by overactive muscle-contraction. Tension headaches are caused by trigger points and other myofascial pain syndromes. Postural imbalances, temporalmandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, elevated stress, structural cervical issues and vascular pain syndrome can all result in headaches.

When you are experiencing headaches we look to find the source. This includes looking at your overall health, posture of your head and jaw position, shoulder tension, spinal alignment, breathing patterns, stiffness in your neck and back, sleep disturbance and position of your feet.

When there is malallignment or tension caused by overactivity in the spinal muscles and cranial muscles they can cause ischemia (reduced blood flow) to the tissues. Additionally it can cause hyperactivity of the spinal nerves in the associated spinal segment. This is known as spinal facilitation. This can affect the spinal and cranial nerves inducing headaches and poor body mechanics potentially leaving the visceral organs in a state of overactivity.

Acute and Chronic conditions can lead to headaches. We look for a history of repetitive strain injury, whiplash, jaw habits such as clenching, grinding, bitting fingernails, history of head injuries, elevated stress and rule out any potential more serious medical conditions.

Muscles of the neck left in a state of tension can even cause symptoms of nausea, vertigo and tennitus.

Did you know there are:

7 cervical vertebrae

22 bones that make up the skull

over 30 pairs of muscles in the head and face

muscles of the cervical spine and thorax can cause headaches

Tension headaches can alter the quality of life you live from mood irritability, poor concentration, alternated sleep and general well-being.

Speak to one of our Registered Massage Therapist to see if we can help with your headaches and improve your overall well-being.

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