Friday 30 September 2011
This month I am going to talk about myofascial headaches, what this is, how it occurs and how a sports therapist, sports massage therapist or physiotherapist can treat it.
What is a Myofascial Headache?
Myofascial headaches are caused by myofascial pain, which is defined as a regional pain syndrome, characterized by referred pain from a trigger point located in a taut band of muscle (1). This pain can manifest itself in the form of either unilateral or bilateral headache. The pain duration can vary between hours to weeks and is usually of a moderate severity. This pain can radiate into the frontal, temporal and orbital regions (2).
What is a myofascial trigger point?
The simplest way to describe a trigger point is an area of thickening or a nodule in a muscle. This will also be an area of tenderness. Trigger points develop in muscles that are either over active or in areas of weak musculature (1). There are a number of myofascial trigger points that can cause headaches. Most of these are found in the musculature of the neck and shoulders. The muscles that are particularly susceptible are the Trapezius muscle, Levator Scapulae, Temporalis, Frontalis and Occipitalis. These cause tension on the insertion points at the Occiput this in turn radiates pain across the cranium. Treatment for Myofascial Headaches
A sports therapist or physiotherapist is able to affectively treat this sort of injury with the use of vertebral mobilizations, soft tissue massage as well as stretching and possibly some strengthening work. The use of myofascial trigger pointing and dry needling are affective ways to release the triggers. This will release the tension on the insertions of the occiput.
References
1. Skootsky S.A., Jaeger B., Oye R. K: Prevalence of myofascial pain in general interal medicine practice. West J Med, Aug. 1989, 151: 157-160
2. Hooper P. D: Treatment of head pain, Williams & Wilkins, 1994, pp 333-4
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