Top 5 Best Massages for Headache & Pain Relief, Massage Therapy for Migraines, Ultra Relaxing

Hey guys, thank you for joining me today. We're going to be doing a video today, five massage moves for headaches, which I know affect a lot of people. So let's go ahead and get started. All right, guys, I'm going to actually start with our first technique today is dry work. So you don't want to apply any oil yet. So going in, I always go in nice and slow. I don't rush. So I'm just going to start to encourage these shoulders to relax. So just a nice gentle pressure to start. And I just wanted to thank Jonathan, John, Ellen, and Trevin. Thank you so much for your support on Patreon. It just, it means a lot to us. And to the rest of you, we have a lot of great content on our platform, our Patreon platform. So I'd encourage you guys to come and check us out. So what I'm doing right here is I'm encouraging these shoulders down and I'm going to start one hand at a time. I'm going to start encouraging the shoulders away from the neck. So just gradually, you know, using a little bit more pressure. And one thing that I am guilty of in my work is you really want to be like using your whole body. So like as I move from right to left, I'm like swaying, trying to remember to really work from my core, even doing something as simple as this. And I'm going to go in with both hands now. And I'm going to start working my way up into this posterior neck area. And I'm just doing some really gentle compressions as I work my way in towards occipital ridge, which, you know, anytime that someone is suffering from headache issues, I know there's going to be tightness there. So I'm just using pretty light pressure. I'm doing these compressions and you might even feel some swelling, some inflammation, which is pretty normal. But if it feels excessive, you don't want to do deep tissue in that area. And you're basically just wanting to make sure that you are putting your pressure on the muscle belly and not the skin. So I'm just really paying attention and making sure that I'm staying right on that muscle belly. And I'm using all of my, I'm trying to use my underside fingers as much as my thumb. So the pressure is coming up and down. And I really like to spend a few minutes here just because the traps can be pretty stubborn. And I also am just kind of gauging how things feel from right to left. And this left side is feeling pretty tight. And I'm going to go in with just a few more compressions, working my way into these occipitals, moving a little bit deeper this time. And I'm actually going to start doing some just little circles. Another technique I'm going to share with you guys is scalp massage. It's just really great, great offering if your client or your friend is having headaches. And again, I'm just doing little circles and with just slightly more pressure. And like I said, I'm going to start my way into the scalp. So just working my way around the ear to start. Most people carry a lot of tension in these kind of hidden places, you know, above the ear and along the temple. So you just have to remember when you're doing scalp massage that you're not, you know, massaging the hair, you're massaging the skin. So just make sure that you have a nice loose grip if you're working on someone that has long hair. So I like to just make sure that I'm not pulling the hair. So once you feel comfortable, you can just do little circles. And again, just encouraging myself to use my whole body, not just my hands. Really, my whole body is one unit. And just working my way on the scalp using these little circles. And it's definitely nice to do this before you put any oil on. It's also a really nice way to end a massage. And just little circles. Again, just make sure that you're massaging the scalp and not just pulling on the hair. A little sensitivity goes a long way. And I'm actually going to go in with the pads of my thumb. It's a really nice way to do some scalp work. So you can actually just alternate from right to left. I'm doing little circles on the top of the head. Usually feels really nice. And again, just as a therapist, kind of, or the therapist for a day, whatever, just make sure that you don't feel static in your own body. So see if, you know, as you move your thumbs, you can maybe sway a little bit. And you might feel kind of goofy, but really helps if you're feeling a little static in your movements. And so this type of this technique with the thumbs, it's especially nice as you get closer to the forehead. It's really, it's really nice part of any work having to do with relieving tension in the head. And finally, I'm gonna go ahead and get into the forehead and the temples. I'm focusing a lot on the temples today. So you still need to be careful of pulling the hair here. So just pay attention. So before I do any kind of trigger point, just warming everything up. And it's amazing how much tension a lot of us hold in the temples. So I'm starting to go in just a nice consistent pressure. Holding for about five seconds at a time, working my way around the temple. And one thing to remember is every body is different. So the temple, you know, might be located in a slightly different place. Just remembering to not be mechanical in your work. And today I'm actually going to work my way into the jaw a little bit. Sometimes headaches happen just because we clench our jaw. So starting this work, I go in pretty late. I see kind of she's, she's holding in that area and she's encouraging that jaw to relax. I'm just encouraging that jaw to relax. Start doing a little circles, maybe starting to increase my pressure a little bit. If the muscles are responding. And again, just kind of checking in with myself and trying to not work in an isolated way where I'm just using my fingers, really trying to use my whole body, working from my core, even as I'm seated. I'm going to work my way back up into the temples. I encourage anyone that has chronic headaches to really, at least once a day, focus on resting the tongue in the lower part of the mouth and feeling space in your mouth and just really, really feeling relaxed in that jaw area. All right. And I am ready to go in with my oil. I actually prefer using massage lotion, but oil works too. What's the time? So going in with my oil when I am, it's kind of nice to have a little break. So this is an opportunity for me to like, just see how my posture is and kind of lengthen my spine before I go back in for this deeper work. An important thing to remember as well is usually there would be a sheet. So you just want to be careful to really honor like where the sheet ends and where your work begins. Like that's an important boundary when you're working on people. And you know, there are exceptions. There's actually some really nice lymphatic work that can be done around the breast, but you obviously need to know where you're in for if you are getting that kind of massage. So I'm basically starting to work my way into the neck. And right now I'm just applying some oil and just making sure that I don't have to go back again, more oil. So I'm going to work on these pectorals a little bit. Everything I'm doing is certainly connected to relieving tension in the head. Sometimes this front body pulls the shoulders in, which puts pressure on the posterior neck. And so what I'm doing is definitely noticing a little bit of tension. So sometimes these pectoral muscles can feel kind of bouncy if they're tight. So I'm trying to just smooth everything out. And a good way to do that is just pausing on the parts of the muscle that feel the most fibrous. So I'm just kind of pausing. Sometimes it can be easier to do one side at a time or both together. Everybody is different. All right, and this can feel really nice just gliding across the shoulder after those compressions, just encouraging these shoulders to relax away from the neck. And finally, we are ready to get into the neck a little bit deeper. And so right now I'm warming up the soft tissue a little more and also scanning from left to right, feeling a lot of tension on the occipital ridge on the left side. So I know I want to spend most of my time on the left. And again, just trying not to be static in my movement, trying to move my whole body, not just my hands. All right, so whenever you're turning the head, you don't want to just whip it right over. You want to kind of move slow and intentionally. So effleurage is a great way to continue to work the soft tissue. So just working my way around that shoulder and back up the posterior side of the neck. And this is really good for the shoulder joint as well. Just make sure you're not pulling on any hair. So just some nice, slow gliding motions across that neck and shoulder, warming everything up. And you can end. So an important thing to mention is right now I'm working on the opposite side, but when I go in for compressions, I'm going to be on the same side. So I'm going to kind of scooch my chair over and I'm going to start just doing a little circles like when I started, but I'm going to go a little bit deeper. So I'm just really listening to how the muscles are responding. And I know I keep mentioning it, but something I'm really working on is like using my whole body, even with these little movements, because it can be really draining when you get too static, especially when you're doing deep tissue work. So just keeping my whole body involved. So just gradually moving a little bit deeper into the occipital area. Guaranteed, this is probably like the best thing you can do for someone suffering from headaches. Okay. So I did say that Juni's left side was a little more tight. So actually working on my transitions a little bit more too. So before moving to the left, just kind of checking in and giving the right side a chance to breathe. It's also an opportunity to really go into the left side with more, just feeling more familiar with the spots that need work. All right. So just moving this head to the right side, nice and slow. And I did forget to mention, you want to make sure that you're supporting your client with your right hand as you move into some effleurage. So, and you also want to stay on the opposite side of where you're working. So just starting to work my way down and over the shoulders and back up the posterior neck. So you can certainly get a lot done in this one movement. So as I work my way up, I'm starting to put some pressure into the occipital area, maybe one more, and really encouraging that shoulder to move away from the neck. And finally, I'm going to go into my compressions. I'm going to move my chair at a better angle. All right. So just continuing with these, they're kind of semi compressions, not exactly holding, but staying on the same area. There's some different ways that you can do this. You can actually move fast if you want, or kind of explore what feels right for you. I prefer moving nice and slow. I'm not saying move fast through the entire neck massage, but when you're on an area that feels really contracted, you can, you know, work pretty vigorously if that feels right to you. Just find your own style. All right, I'm gonna kind of end this work with, I'm just going to hold, and this is the most pressure that I've used. I'm just holding on that spot that feels the most contracted. All right, and nice and slow. So I know that any sort of decompression can feel a little intimidating, especially with the neck, and just be gentle. And it's a really healthy thing to offer the neck and the occipital area. So I'm going to end with a stretch for the neck, and also it's just great for creating more space in the vertebrae. It's actually easier without oil on my hands, but I feel pretty good to do it. So what I'm going to do is I'm just going to grab hold of Juni's head, and I'm going to kind of just make sure that they're catching along the hairline, and I'm just going to pull. So I'm planning my feet. I'm nice and solid through my own body, and just gentle shaking. It's really healthy for the whole neck. And that is it for today. Thank you so much for joining us today, guys. I hope that you enjoyed today's video, and I look forward to seeing you next time.