Benefits of massage

Finally some scientific evidence of the benefits of massage. Does anyone find this helps with migraine? I seem to think it does. At least temporarily.

From The New York Times:

VITAL SIGNS: Regimens: Massage Benefits Are More Than Skin Deep

Researchers found that a single session of massage caused biological changes, like increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment.

http://nyti.ms/ctP4gA

Massages always triggered a migraine for me.

I did almost three years of weekly therapeutic massage and I do not think it helped enough to say it was effective for me. I'm at the point where I think I am going to stop going.

I have only had 2 massages.

The first.......2hrs long.....I think it would be called Deep Tissue...it was gentle and slow...yet deep and intense. During the massage, I was loving it. After the massage.....I drove home and thought I was going to die! Migraine City!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I was not going to have anymore massages!!!

Then I had my second. We were at a an amazing inn/lodge on the Rogue River in Oregon for our 10th Anniv. They offered couples massages in an amazing setting on the river in a special tent. My husband and I signed up. I was nervous as I was away from home, did not want to ruin my trip, etc I told the woman before she began that I had really bad migraines and my experience with my first migraine. She told me it was because of the deep tissue aspect, releasing too many toxins, etc. This is all Greek to me.

So she worked on me for an hour.......just as bilissful.....but I guess not has deep...........it was FABULOUS! I went back to our room, got in our fabulous bed with 600 thread count sheets naked and slept like a baby. It was just awesome!

Wish I could do that again!

Guess it depends who does you and how they do it. Tell them about your M's first.

I love massages and have had a number of them.

Some have hurt me worse and others have been wonderful to me. One of my best massages was from a student who was on her last stages of certification. She was really paying attention. Don't allow anyone to do it that isn't certified or being trained. Amateurs and self taught practitioners don't know how to deal with some things. I found that sports thereputic practitioners tried to force it out of me and I got hurt. Spa type practitioners were more into relaxation and were a better choice for my migraines.

A light touch on the neck and upper shoulders was all that was needed. Emphasize this ahead of time. I was told by one practitioner to tell her on a scale of 1 to 5 the level of intensity to apply (5 being the heaviest). I would use that to tell them a 2 on my neck and head everywhere else is normal.

Getting a firm rubdown while I breath deeply into a nervana state is just heavenly and I wish I had the money to have someone come over every week.

If done correctly, how can this not be good for a person with migraines?

kate, i've had the same experience as you. love it while it's happening, hideous pain in head later.

"how could this not be good for a person with migraines"? i'll tell ya why. if the person also has fibromyalgia massage can be killer.

it's not only me; i know lots of fibro folks who can't even stand to be touched. my case is milder, but causes me lots of havoc in other ways.

maybe pen can relate to this? dianne

I can Dianne. Most of my pain is upper body with general aches in my legs.
I, probably like you can have someone touch me and hurt in places I didnt know I had.

I have had massage, but mainly along with reiki, and very gentle.
But for me it is the lying flat, and especially on my back or with my head through that damn hole that causes the head pain.
It really gets my neck.

My daughters trained in Indian Head Massage. It can help my head, neck and shoulders.
BUT they have tailored it to suit me. I was one of their case studies.

For me, for now, that's the only kind of massage I would risk.

Pen

If someone messes around/pushes on my shoulders or neck I inevitably get a bad migraine. No massage for me!

I love massages. I love to be massaged and to massage others.
However, I prefer not to be deeply massaged in the neck area as it can trigger migraine. I guess that it has something to do with vase dilation at the base of the skull.

I guess I am alone in needing deep tissue massage all the time. A little relaxing massage is nothing, it almost tickles me. I always say, give me the deepest pressure possible. I think it scares them because I am only 4'11", so I usually have to say to use more pressure. My daughter and I try to give each other neck/shoulder massages every few days. It really helps keep the muscles from getting overly tense. We both love very firm masssage. Other people in our family will not let us massage them, they usually start screaming that it hurts! They call it the "Spock Treatment". Each to their own....
Hugs,
Cindy

Interesting that so many people find it triggers migraine. My doctor recommended deep therapeutic massage as a way to help with the neck pain and headaches. I generally found that it helped. And they definitely had to be pretty deep pressure to do any good.

Massages sadly trigger a migraine for me too, every time. I love them and feel very frustrated that I can't any more. I've tried asking for a 'light' touch but it doesn't make any difference. However I sometimes have a facial and although it's not as good at releasing the tension, it does relax me heaps without triggering a migraine . . . . . I hope as I'm having one later today. I can never book one though, as I invariably let them down, so have to take a chance on a cancellation when I'm having a better day.

Liz

As with a lot of other therapies, I had to find the right kind of massage/massage therapist. I have to be careful with what I get around my neck, and I tend to get pressure point work done there instead of a lot of rubbing. There's certain types of movements and certain areas my therapist is very cautious about because she is well versed in headaches. There are quite a few therapists out there with some knowledge of migraines, and if you want to give massage therapy a try, you should be tracking down someone like that.

I have also had great luck with Thai massage, which is almost like being stretched while pressure points are applied.

I had one massage. It was 80 minutes and was a hot stone massage. I refused to let her touch my face or head but I still hated it. I am miserable without my clothing on so I never relaxed. The music playing was annoying. The scent of the place was sickening. When I left I had to stop several times driving home to throw up. It was a gift from someone who thought it would help.

Now, I love to have my feet and legs massaged. So, when I can time it so that I am in the manicure shop when they open I have that done.

I also like my husband to give me massages on my back and arms but I am much more in control of that. And, I don't have to get naked. I hate nudity. Having to take my clothes off for any length of time stresses me enough I am probably going to get a migraine anyway.