How to Massage Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are caused by tightness in the muscles of your neck and shoulders. These tense muscles pull on the fascia in your head causing the pressure felt in a tension headache.When you feel a tension headache coming on you can use self massage to relieve the pain of the headache.

Instructions

Massage

• 1

  Massage the large muscles in your shoulders. You can do this by grabbing the muscle with your opposite hand and slowly squeezing and releasing it. As you squeeze the muscle twist it slightly. The entire squeezing and releasing process should take about six seconds. Do this along the length of the muscle. Repeat on the other side.

• 2

  Massage the muscles that run down the back of your neck at either side of your spine. Do this to those muscles also. Use the hand on the same side you're massaging. Grab under the muscle and squeeze and release it slowly. Do this down the length of the muscle. Repeat on the other side.

• 3

  Massage the base of the skull with small circular strokes. Do this a few times.

• 4

  Massage the large muscle that comes from behind your ear and runs down the front of your neck to your clavicle. Massage this muscle by squeezing it much like you squeezed the other muscles. As you squeeze it twist it just a little. Do this down the length of the muscle a few times. Repeat on the other side.