8 Pain Management Techniques for Headaches and Migraines
More than 47 million Americans have experienced a severe or debilitating headache in the past three months. Some of the reasons causing these headaches are muscle tension, skin temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
If your headaches are persistent or other medications just aren't cutting it, some other ways to prevent or ease headaches include: Massage: For temporary relief, try rubbing your temples or getting a neck, back, head, or shoulder massage. You need to do massage again and again for better results. In a small study, people with migraines who had six weekly massage sessions had less frequent migraines and better sleep during the massage weeks and the three following weeks than a control group. Stretching: Headache-relieving stretches can get at muscle tension that contributes to pain. Add them to your workout or use them when a headache looms. Neck range of motion (chin forward, upward, and toward each shoulder); shoulder shrugs (shrug up, up and forward, and up and back); and neck isometrics (press palm into forehead and hold; press hand on each side of the head). Stretch twice a day for 20 minutes per session. Hold the stretch for five seconds, relax for five seconds, and repeat each stretch three to five times. Aerobics: Regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, biking, or swimming, can reduce migraine intensity and frequency, according to the National Pain Foundation. In a small study in the journal Headache, migraine patients who were not regular exercisers engaged in a 12-week indoor cycling program. Participants improved their quality of life and reduced the number of migraines they had, as well as the intensity of the pain. Meditation: Various meditation techniques can be used to focus attention and quiet the mind from distractions such as chronic pain. At this point, there is little data on the effect of meditation on migraines. One small study of people with migraines found that spiritual meditation reduced headache frequency and improved pain tolerance more than secular meditation and muscle relaxation. Yoga: Yoga combines physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation to boost relaxation and balance the mind, body, and spirit, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In a small study in Headache two groups of migraine patients were randomly assigned to three months of yoga therapy or self care. Compared with the control group, the yoga participants had less frequent and less painful attacks, as well as less anxiety. |
Relaxation exercises: Deep breathing, relaxing to music, or using mental imagery can help people unwind and possibly help with headache too. Additional research is needed, however. A study of 90 people with tension headaches found that relaxation training improved their sleep more than acupuncture.
Heat and cold Anyone can use this no-risk headache therapy—even pregnant women. To alleviate neck tightness, apply heat to the back of the neck. For a pulsating headache, however, skip the heat and try icing the temples. The artery that supplies blood to the dura (the lining of the brain) sits behind the thin bone at the temple. Using head-Pressure Points
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Source: Karen Pallarito. health.com
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