For muscle related headaches, the most common cause is muscle tension. For the neck, it’s brought on by bad posture, stress and overuse. For your head, is due to things like clenching and grinding your teeth, constant frowning, repetitive incorrect head position and stress related actions.
Release Technique (Recap)
For effective massage, having an idea where to find each muscle is key. (See diagrams provided for each area)
Also take notice of the direction of the muscle fibers (lines within the muscles). Working along the fibers is the kindest way to massage, or in general for warming up the tissue.
- Feel around with the pads of your fingers (not the tips)
- The muscle tissue will feel soft and fleshy in the thicker parts v’s thinner and firmer along the edges
- Warmup the middle of the muscle first, then feel around.
- The spots we’re looking for are taut bands like little lumps within the muscle
- However in such small muscles, the lumps are not always easy to find, and that’s ok, it may just be a matter of finding some referring sensations / pain when pressed instead.
- Don’t be afraid to get in there, you will figure out where the good spots are soon enough.
- Use strokes and circular motions with your desired pressure
- Once you’ve found your spot, hold firm for 30 seconds or until you feel the pressure change
- Don’t forget your long, slow deep breathing as well!!
Now it’s time to find your area of pain.
Some information is repeated as it relates to multiple sites, so only select the area you want to work on, or should you want to do everything, you only need to massage the each muscle once. Otherwise it may get very tender if over worked.
Before I outline the different areas and how to relieve the tension, there is one muscle I want to cover first, that commonly contributes to all areas of pain.
The Upper Trapezius
Its a large muscle with attachment points around the whole shoulder, mid back, up the back of the neck and refers pain pulling across the front of your forehead.
I highly recommend releasing through this muscle first in both TrPZ 1 & 2 for all areas of pain detailed below.
TrZ1 sit down at the dining table, with your treating arm resting on the table (so it’s relaxed), use your opposite hand to reach across. Run 3 fingers along shoulder until it meets the neck, find your spot, then with your fingertips press down. You can use a pinching (pincer) grip here for more intensity, but it is difficult to do on your own. You may use a partner to pinch where X marks the spot.
Referral pain – up the side of your face, jaw, ear, temple and back of the neck to the base of your skull.
TrZ2 glide along from shoulder to neck until you find your sore spot, (should be able to find a good spot above the midpoint of collarbone) press down with your fingertips or pinch on the relaxed muscle.
Referral pain – this will refer up the back of your neck
After release, use your stroking motion with pressure to run all the way up to the base of your skull, you may feel more spots you can tackle with the press or pinch method.
Areas of Pain – and their relative muscles
1. Temporal Pain – 3 muscles
Temples (refer to the Temporalis muscle) – feel around your hairline above and around the tip of your ear, run your fingers towards your eyes and up as far as the top of the side of your head) find your spot and press. Repeat
Referral pain – localised in temples and / or into the jaw.
Forehead (refer to Frontalis muscle) – use 3 fingers width above the eyebrows, and work up towards hairline) assists with temple pain as you work across towards the temples as well.
Referral pain – localised and / or into the temples
Jaw (refer to the Masseter muscle) – located between the top and bottom jaw between your back teeth, attached from the top of the jaw bone to the bottom jawline, find your fleshy muscle, and feel across and inward between your teeth. You’ll find some good sore spots in there.
This muscle is responsible for chewing, clenching and grinding your teeth.
Referral pain – localised and / or strong into the jaw joint.
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook group
2. Forehead Pain – 2 muscles + 2 extra techniques
Occipitals – Base of skull (refer to Occipitalis muscle) feel around your hairline behind your ear, feel for bony prominence then slide upwards until you fall into a divot, softer tissue – both sides)
Referral pain – localised and / or to the front forehead. May even reproduce your headache. The reason it refers to the front of your head when pressed in the back is because the 2 muscles (Occipitals & Frontalis) are connected by a band of fascia. Which is why we always treat them together.
Forehead (refer to Frontalis muscle) – use 3 fingers width above the eyebrows, and work up towards hairline)
Referral pain – localised and / or into the temples
SCALP Massage (to loosen the tight fascia – whole hand claw action, focus on the skin movement not trigger points. Use your fingertips all over in a circular motion)
Gentle HAIR PULLING (large clumps, grab and gentle pull all over – to separate the fascia from the skull) feels unreal!!
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook group
3. Pain behind your Eyes
This pain tends to be related to more internal issues (sinus, eyesight strain, screens use, fluid build up), however can also be a referral from the Upper Trapezius muscle. See details above….
I find gentle massage around eyebrows, pressing on eye sockets, massage on forehead and temples (as per above instructions) will provide temporary relief. You may need medicated assistance for this one. You may also need glasses (seek an eye test), or put simply, you may just need a break away from screens. Go outside and get some fresh air.
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook group
4. Jaw & Teeth Pain – 2 muscles
Temples (refer to the Temporalis muscle) – feel around your hairline above and around the tip of your ear, towards your eye and up as far as the top of the side of your head) find your spot and press. Repeat
Referral pain – localised and / or into the jaw.
Jaw (refer to the Masseter muscle) – located between the top and bottom jaw between your back teeth, attached from the top of the jaw bone to the bottom jawline, find your fleshy muscle, and feel across and inward between your teeth. You’ll find some good sore spots in there.
This muscle is responsible for chewing, clenching and grinding your teeth.
Referral pain – localised and / or strong into the jaw joint.
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook group
5. Ear Pain – 4 muscles (unrelated to inner ear infections)
First work the muscles above under Jaw & Teeth pain, then add the bottom 2 for treatment of pain in and behind the ear.
Side of the neck (refer to SCM muscle) – located on the side of the neck, from behind the ear, diagonally forward to the collarbone. Slightly tilt your head, ear and nose towards the shoulder and pincer grip between your thumb and forefinger, best TrP is 2/3 up.
Referral pain – in the ear and up the side of the face.
Levator Scapulae (refer to Lev Scap muscle) – located back of the shoulder from top / inside border of the shoulder blade up diagonally to under the ear.
This muscle is known as the stress muscle responsible for lifting your shoulder up to your ear. Best TrP is found off the top of shoulder blade. With your opposite hand reach across your neck to feel your shoulder blade bone and just above the inside corner is the TrP. Press and hold.
Referral pain – localised and up to the jaw and ear.
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook grou
6. Back of Neck & Base of Skull – 4+ muscles
The Upper Trapezius as described above # 1 most important for this pain area
Levator Scapulae (refer to Lev Scap muscle) – located back of the shoulder from top / inside border of the shoulder blade up diagonally to under the ear.
This muscle is known as the stress muscle responsible for lifting your shoulder up to your ear. Best TrP is found off the top of shoulder blade. With your opposite hand reach across your neck to feel your shoulder blade bone and just above the inside corner is the TrP. Press and hold. Also use your stroking motion with pressure to run all the way up to the base of your ear.
Referral pain – localised and up to the jaw and ear.
Occipitals – Base of skull (refer to Occipitalis muscle) feel around your hairline behind your ear, feel for bony prominence then slide inward to softer tissue – both sides)
Referral pain – localised and / or to the front forehead.
Sub–occipitals – Top of your cervical spine this group of small muscles live under 2-3 layers of muscles at the very top of your cervical spine. They are difficult to get to with massage.
They can be felt and released with very deep pressure after the Upper Trapezius muscle has been released. Alternatively, stretching at the end of treatment for this area of pain can assist to reduce tension headaches due to these muscles.
Full video instruction available @ Sal Petrassi Muscle & Myotherapy Clients private facebook group
There are many stretches across the whole neck and shoulders that can assist with neck pain once the trigger points have been released. But only attempt stretching once the muscles are nice and warm after massage to minimise injuring any muscle tissue.
Well there you have it, I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog today and was able to take away some useful tips for the next time you have a muscle tension headache.
Send your comments my way and tell me how this article helped you, I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time xx Sal
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Trigger Point Muscle Release Balls & Rollers
Very effective tools to get right in on those sore tight spots.
These are the tools I use to self massage my way out of pain and strain.
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