| Migraine prevention begins with body awareness. I | | | | imperative for migraineurs seeking relief. |
| spent twelve years in practice as a massage | | | | Natural Migraine Relief Strategies for Tension: |
| therapist and have worked with many migraineurs | | | | Applying ice packs and heat to the shoulders, |
| during that time. One thing is certain; I've never | | | | neck and jaw can help you relax the muscles and |
| worked on a person who suffered from Migraine | | | | release the tension they hold. Stretching your |
| disease that didn't carry extreme muscle tension | | | | neck and shoulders throughout the day is also a |
| in the neck, and shoulders. The jaw as well was | | | | great way of becoming more aware of these |
| often a prime area of pain and tension for | | | | muscles and the tension they hold. The stretching |
| migraineurs. Becoming more aware of the muscle | | | | will bring more blood and nutrients into these |
| tension that you carry can greatly support you in | | | | muscles and support them in remaining relaxed |
| eliminating factors that contribute to migraine | | | | and healthy. |
| attacks. | | | | If you don't believe that you are carrying an |
| Severe muscle tension in the neck, shoulders and | | | | unhealthy amount of tension in these areas and |
| jaw can be deadly combination for migraineurs. | | | | yet you suffer from migraines I invite you to |
| This severe tension is a pre-migraine symptom | | | | consider the possibility that you may have |
| that any migraineur can learn to become more | | | | adapted to this extreme tension and are |
| aware of and treat with daily relaxations | | | | therefore unaware of it's presence. Here's |
| practices, massage, and stretching. True migraine | | | | something you can do to increase your muscle |
| pain relief is dependent upon your ability to release | | | | tension awareness: |
| stress and tension that you hold in the body. | | | | An Exercise in Increasing Your Awareness of |
| While a normal amount of tension in these areas | | | | Muscle Tension |
| is healthy, the extreme levels of tension that | | | | Take a moment and rate the level of tension of |
| migraine sufferers tend to hold in these areas is | | | | you feel right now in your neck on a scale of |
| not. This is the tension that can lead to migraine | | | | 1-10, (1) being a very slight amount of tension, (5) |
| attacks. The shoulders, neck and jaw are primary | | | | being a moderate amount of tension and (10) |
| areas that you will want to learn how to relax if | | | | being an extreme amount of tension. To do this, |
| you want to get relief from migraine headaches. | | | | you can sense into the front of your neck, the |
| When Adapting to Muscle Tension Dulls Your Body | | | | sides of your neck, and the back of your neck. |
| Awareness | | | | Then just give the tension you feel in all these |
| Achieving migraine relief isn't always easy when | | | | parts of your neck an overall rating. |
| your body has adapted to this tension. When | | | | Next, grab a hand towel and stand over your |
| extreme tension becomes the norm you do not | | | | kitchen sink. Turn the water on to a warm-hot |
| always receive obvious signals from your body | | | | temperature and soak the hand towel in the |
| telling you that there is something that needs | | | | water. Then wrap the moist hot towel all the way |
| your attention. In fact, I would estimate that as | | | | around your neck as if it were a winter scarf. Be |
| much as 40% of my clients who carried this | | | | sure to cover your whole neck. When the |
| extreme muscle tension claimed to have no pain | | | | warmth of the towel dissipates, put it under the |
| or sense of significant tension in these parts of | | | | hot water in the sink again to get it hot and wrap |
| their body. For some, the muscle tension would | | | | it around your neck again for a minute or so. You |
| become more obvious when I would work on | | | | can continue this for the next 4-5 minutes, |
| these areas and the muscles would begin to | | | | wrapping the moist heated towel fully around |
| release. For others, I could be releasing muscles in | | | | your neck. |
| the neck and shoulders that had knots the size of | | | | When you are done, sense into your neck |
| a marbles and still they couldn't sense a significant | | | | muscles once again and notice the level of tension |
| problem in these areas. | | | | you now feel in the front of your neck, the sides |
| If you suffer from headaches or migraines you | | | | of your neck and the back of your neck. Now |
| are likely carrying high levels of tension in these | | | | rate your level of tension in the neck. Has the |
| areas of your body. The trick is in becoming | | | | tension decreased? Do your muscles feel |
| aware of the tension and learning to release it so | | | | different? Is there more flexibility in your neck? |
| that it doesn't stimulate migraine activity. | | | | How do your muscles feel? |
| In times of stress, when the fight or flight | | | | Sometimes we become aware of the tension we |
| response kicks in we experience muscle tension. | | | | were holding only after the muscles have |
| It's a natural response to stress or any perceived | | | | released. If "the norm" we experience is extreme |
| threat that we experience. We tighten the | | | | tension and we do something like this that allows |
| muscles around our blood vessels. The blood | | | | us to experience a feeling outside of the norm like |
| travels away from our extremities and towards | | | | "relaxation" then we have something new to |
| our primary organs at the center of the body. If | | | | compare to. |
| our bodies become prone to too much stress and | | | | Try this self care exercise for yourself and |
| we neglect to release it we can wind up with | | | | practice releasing any muscle tension that could |
| unhealthy, weakened and tight muscles in the | | | | be impeding your goal to get relief from migraine |
| upper body that do not get the proper blood and | | | | headaches. |
| nutrients they need. Healthy blood flow is | | | | |