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Tension Headache Relief
The afternoon headache that starts at the base of your skull.
Most tension headaches don't start in the head. They start at the base of the skull, in the suboccipital muscles — the tiny ones connecting your skull to your top vertebrae. When those muscles get stuck (long days at a screen, jaw clenching, stress), they pull on the fascia that runs over the top of your head and across your forehead. That's the headache. You can take aspirin or you can release the muscles. The muscles take longer the first time, but they keep working.
Why it happens
- ·Suboccipital muscles locked in spasm from forward head posture or screen time.
- ·Jaw clenching — masseter and temporalis muscles refer tension directly into the temples and behind the eyes.
- ·Trigger points in the trapezius that refer pain UP into the back of the skull (classic referral pattern).
- ·Dehydration + caffeine cycles that throw off the nervous system.
- ·Eye strain from screens or uncorrected vision.
What helps
Sustained pressure on the suboccipitals and upper trap trigger points that refer into the head. The most direct work for tension headaches.
Releases the broader neck-shoulder-jaw pattern that the headaches sit on top of. Often the trigger points stay quiet longer after deep tissue work.
If your headaches are stress-driven (and many are), nervous system regulation is the upstream fix. Reiki paired with bodywork is often the right move.
Try first at home
- ·Drink water. Most chronic headache sufferers are mildly dehydrated all day. Aim for half your body weight in ounces.
- ·Jaw self-massage: with clean fingers, work the masseter (the muscle at the corner of your jaw) for 60 seconds, 2x/day.
- ·Tennis ball on the upper trap: lean against a wall, ball between your trap and the wall, find the tender spot, hold pressure for 90 seconds.
- ·Eye breaks every 20 minutes — 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away. The 20-20-20 rule isn't optional if you live on a screen.
When to book a session
- ·Headaches more than once a week.
- ·Headaches that start in the neck and shoulders and creep up into the head.
- ·Headaches that get worse over the course of the workday.
- ·Headaches that respond to pressure on specific spots in the neck or shoulders.
- ·Jaw tightness or clicking paired with headache pattern.
Straight talk: when this isn't my work
Sudden severe headache, headache with vision changes or balance issues, headache after a head injury, or the worst headache of your life — that's an ER visit, not a massage. I treat tension headaches. Anything else needs a doctor first.
Common questions
Can massage cure my chronic headaches?
Cure is the wrong frame. If they're tension-pattern headaches driven by neck/shoulder/jaw mechanics — yes, the right work makes them rare or gone. If they're migraines, hormone-driven, or something else, massage helps the nervous system but isn't the primary intervention.
How fast will I notice a difference?
Most people get an immediate decrease in pressure after one session focused on the suboccipitals and upper trap. Lasting reduction in frequency usually takes 3–4 sessions over a month, paired with the self-care.
What's the difference between tension headaches and migraines?
Tension headaches feel like a band around the head or pressure that builds up. Migraines are usually one-sided, throbbing, often with nausea or light sensitivity. Massage helps both but in different ways — and migraines need a doctor's diagnosis.