Tension Headache Treatment in Porter Ranch & Northridge, CA
Presented by
Dr. Masoud Shamaeizadeh, DC
Soft Touch Chiropractic
Porter Ranch & Northridge, California
Tension-type headache is one of the most common forms of headache. It is often described as pressure, tightness, aching, or a band-like sensation around the head, and it may occur together with neck and shoulder tension.
At Soft Touch Chiropractic, we do not approach tension headaches with chiropractic manipulation alone. Our clinical approach evaluates the cervical spine, upper neck, posture, joint movement, and muscles surrounding the neck, skull and head.
The Muscles May Be Important Research has found that people with tension-type headaches commonly have increased tenderness in the muscles and soft tissues surrounding the head and neck.
A review of the role of muscles in tension-type headache reported increased pericranial myofascial tenderness and trigger points in people with tension-type headache.
A larger systematic review and meta-analysis of pericranial tenderness also found greater tenderness in people with both episodic and chronic tension-type headaches compared with healthy individuals.
Muscles that may be evaluated include the:
- Suboccipital muscles
- Temporalis muscles
- Cervical paraspinal muscles
- Upper trapezius
- Sternocleidomastoid
- Other tender or restricted craniofacial and cervical soft tissues
My approach may combine gentle chiropractic care with soft-tissue therapy, joint mobilization, stretching, therapeutic exercise, CFRT (Contrastrain Facilitation Release Technique), Graston Technique, and treatment of appropriate cervical and craniofacial muscles.
This comprehensive approach is consistent with emerging research.
A systematic review of manual therapy for tension-type headache reported positive effects on measures including headache pain, frequency, disability and quality of life, and suggested that combining different manual techniques may be more effective than relying on a single technique.
Another systematic review and meta-analysis found that soft-tissue interventions may reduce headache pain intensity and frequency, while high-velocity manipulation alone was not superior to no treatment for those outcomes.
Research also indicates that the cervical spine can be a component of tension-type headache, making evaluation of the neck clinically relevant in appropriate patients.
My Clinical Experience During approximately 25 years of clinical practice, I have found that many patients with tension headaches respond very well when treatment goes beyond the painful area and addresses the neck, suboccipital region, temporalis and other involved muscles and joints.
This represents my clinical observation and experience, not a controlled clinical trial or a guaranteed outcome.
I believe the important question is not simply:
“Does this patient need a chiropractic adjustment?”
Instead, I ask:
“What combination of muscles, joints, movement restrictions and other musculoskeletal factors may be contributing to this patient's headache pattern?”
That distinction has become an important part of how I treat headache patients today.
Tension Headache Chiropractor in Porter Ranch & Northridge.
If you experience recurring tension headaches, neck pain, tight suboccipital muscles, temple tenderness, neck stiffness, or headaches associated with prolonged sitting and posture, a comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluation may help identify contributing factors.
Learn more about our comprehensive approach to neck pain and headaches and our gentle chiropractic approach.
Schedule an Evaluation
Soft Touch Chiropractic
Dr. Masoud Shamaeizadeh, DC
Serving Porter Ranch, Northridge and the surrounding San Fernando Valley
Our goal is not simply to adjust the neck
We look at the cervical spine, muscles, soft tissues and movement patterns together to develop an individualized approach to headache and neck pain.
Important: A new, sudden, unusually severe, or rapidly changing headache—or headache associated with weakness, confusion, fever, fainting, vision changes, trauma or other neurological symptoms—should receive prompt medical evaluation.
rel=”author”>Masoud Shamaeizadeh
