How a simple neck massage can help stop migraine pain

Could a neck massage soon be prescribed as a treatment for unbearable headaches and migraines?

A recent study in Germany found that people who suffered from tension headaches or migraines also had inflamed, tense muscles in their necks. The suggestion is that here it is the inflammation that causes the headache.

The researchers say this insight could lead to new drug-free ways to treat the conditions, such as massage or zappers that disrupt the nerve signals involved in this inflammation.

Many of the millions of Britons who suffer from headaches or migraines also report neck complaints before and during their painful episodes.

Previous studies have found links between neck stiffness and headaches, but these are based on patient descriptions or assessment by physiotherapists – rather than on an objective measure of what’s happening in the neck muscles.

But now, using a new type of MRI scan called T2 mapping, researchers from the Technical University of Munich in Germany have found that people who suffered from tension headaches and migraines also had more tension and fluid build-up (a sign of inflammation) in their had a neck. muscles.

The study of 50 people – 28 who suffered from tension headaches or migraines, and 22 who did not – focused on the trapezius, a diamond-shaped muscle that runs from the neck down over the shoulders and upper back. Participants kept a headache diary for 30 days before undergoing the T2 mapping scan.

The study found that it took slightly longer for the neck muscles to relax in people with headaches and migraines, due to the higher fluid levels in those muscles, the Journal of Headache and Pain reported.

Results, presented at the recent Radiological Society of North America conference, showed that the highest levels of inflammation were recorded in people who suffered from tension headaches and migraines. In addition, the more fluid and inflammation there is in the neck muscles, the more The headache can occur frequently, says lead researcher and radiologist Dr. Nico Sollmann.

Although the research is in its early stages, this could provide a new way to measure whether neck pain is contributing to someone’s headaches, and open up new drug-free treatment options, he told Good Health.

‘This is the first time that we have been able to accurately measure signs of inflammation in the neck muscles of patients with headaches using MRI – and capture the difference between patients and healthy subjects.’

New treatments are desperately needed to help the ten million people in Britain who suffer from migraines, a throbbing, intense headache often accompanied by nausea, visual disturbances and vomiting.

Meanwhile, tension headaches, described as pain that feels like a band is tightening around the head, are experienced by more than 40 percent of people at some point, according to the British Association for the Study of Headache.

The causes of both are complex and not fully understood, which is partly why they can be difficult to treat.

But neck pain is a common problem among patients, which is why the German researchers investigated the role of the neck muscles.

Dr. Sollmann says evidence from his research suggests that stiff neck muscles cause pain signals to travel to the brain via nerves in the upper spine, which can lead to headaches and migraines.

The results showed that the highest levels of inflammation were recorded in people with tension headaches and migraines – and the more fluid and inflammation there was in the neck muscles, the more frequent the headaches could occur (stock image)

A communication loop could also exist between the nerves in the neck muscles, spinal cord and brain, with pain messages traveling up and down causing headaches and migraine pain, he says.

However, he adds that it is too early to say whether it is the headache that is causing the neck pain, or the other way around.

Nevertheless, muscle tension in the trapezius could be a therapeutic target, he says.

This large muscle lies just under the skin of the neck and shoulders, so it can provide an easily accessible route for topical treatment instead of medication, to prevent side effects.

For example, massage, physical therapy and muscle-freezing ‘Botox’ injections can be explored to see if they reduce headaches, says Dr. Sollmann.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) already recommends Botox for migraine sufferers who have failed to achieve relief with at least three preventive treatments.

Another option is magnetic stimulation, in which a wearable device is placed on the skin and sends pulses of magnetic energy to the neck muscle.

A pilot study of 20 people, published in the European Journal of Pediatric Neurology in 2016, suggested this could have a positive impact. The magnetic pulses are thought to reduce muscle tension in the neck.

Dr. Brendan Davies, consultant neurologist at the University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust, said: ‘This is interesting, albeit preliminary, to try to understand the mechanisms underlying why patients with migraine and tension headache complain of neck and shoulder pain. ,’ he says.

However, he adds that the research so far does not clarify which comes first: the inflamed neck muscles or the headache.

“More work is needed to understand the role of any inflammation before we can use it as a target for treatment,” he says.

The German researchers are conducting further clinical trials to investigate the role of neck muscles in headaches and how they can be treated.