Neck Pain and Tension Headaches

What Causes Tension Headaches?

Tension headaches stem from muscle tension and trigger points in the scalp, neck, and shoulders. Contributing factors include stress, poor posture, repetitive computer work, muscle spasms from upper spine injuries, and certain metabolic conditions. The increase in "Text Neck" from mobile phone use has made this type of headache significantly more prevalent.

What Are Trigger Points?

Trigger points are hyper-tight knots in taut bands of muscle that cause referred pain at a distance from their location. They work through a mechanism where sensitised nerve endings create cross-signals to other body areas. Common locations for tension headache trigger points are the trapezius muscles at the tops of the shoulders and the muscles at the base of the skull, producing characteristic pain along the sides of the head and toward the eye area.

How Manual Therapy Helps

Stretching and strengthening exercises address underlying causes, but direct hands-on treatment is typically necessary to eliminate established trigger points. Trigger Point Massage requires firm, slow, sustained strokes performed skillfully, avoiding the mistake of overstimulating stretch receptors. When done correctly, this reduces chronic muscle tension and nervous system oversensitivity, sometimes enabling medication reduction in frequent headache sufferers.

The Role of Medical Acupuncture

Medical acupuncture takes a scientific approach, inserting needles into trigger points identified through patient history and clinical assessment. Needles can access deep muscle bands unreachable by surface massage alone. Successful needle placement produces a distinctive "twitch response" followed by increased blood flow and trigger point relaxation. Millimetre-level precision is essential for optimal outcomes, making experience with this technique critical.

Call us on 020 8506 1000 to discuss neck pain and headache treatment.