Facing yet another stubborn headache, huh? Had enough of popping pills and crossing fingers hoping tomorrow will be different?
What if I told you there’s a totally natural way to kick those headaches to the curb? It’s free, and it’s something you can do all by yourself – it’s acupressure. No, not acupuncture with those tiny needles – you do acupressure with your hands, no sharp objects involved!
I’ve spent well over a decade poking and prodding (professionally, of course) as an acupuncturist, and I’ve seen some pretty awesome results with both acupuncture and acupressure.
This knowledge is like having a secret weapon against pain, right at your fingertips. And the best part? It’s about giving your body a little nudge to do its thing and relieve pain naturally.
So, ready for a quick tour? I’ll show you some magic spots on your body that you can press, grasp, or knead to dial down the headache volume. Think of it as a DIY project for pain relief.
It’s not about ditching your doctor or going cold turkey with medications but adding another trick to your feel-better tool kit. Plus, it’s a chance to get in tune with your body and give it some much-needed TLC.
There’ll be a little background info to start, but don’t worry we’ll keep it light and breezy. Then, we’ll breakdown which type of headache is most amenable to pressure points, give you some tips to help pinpoint your particular headache type, and share some red flags that signal it’s time to consult a doctor.
Before You Press – When Can Pressure Points Come To The Rescue?
With a raft of possible causes for a sore head, how might you uncover if your specific ail is suitable for some soothing self-massage?
Start with how it feels…
Ever had one of those headaches that feels like your skull’s caught in a vice on a rustic woodworking bench? You know, where the pressure just relentlessly builds? That, my friend, is your typical tension type headache.
It is frequently reported to feel like an uncomfortable squeezing across the forehead or around the back and sides of your skull.
How are tension headaches diagnosed?
It’s a good idea to be able to spot a tension headache, especially from its much uglier sister; the migraine. Thankfully, there’s a set of guidlines to help us navigate through the headache haze.
According to the International Headache Society a tension headache typically lasts from 30-minutes up to seven days, and comes with at least two of the following features:
A sensation of pressing, tightness or aching, but crucially NOT pulsating.
Affects both sides of the head (we’re talking bilateral discomfort).
Ranges from mild to moderate intensity.
NOT aggravated by physical activity.
There must also be:
No nausea and vomiting.
While sensitivity to light or noise may occur, they are NOT both present at the same time.
Tension headaches are categorized as primary headaches; that is, the headache cannot be explained as a symptom of another condition (like hangover, or a febrile illness). In other words, it is a headache that is just a headache!
Tension Headaches or Migraine? The Headache Showdown
Tension headaches and migraine are both common primary headaches. But, for the most part, that’s where the similarity ends. Migraine is not simply a bad headache, it is a neurological disease.
Imagine migraines as the rock concerts of headaches – intense, unforgettable, and often accompanied by their own light shows (aura) and sometimes even their own special effects (like horrible nausea).
Statistically, you’re more likely to encounter tension headaches. Thank God! The former affects up to 78% of the population, whereas migraine impacts under 8% of males and around one in five females.
Then there is severity. People can often push through tension headaches in order to complete tasks. Migraines, on the other hand, paint a different picture. For more than half of migraineurs their headaches interfere with — even outright halts — their ability to perform daily activities.
The International Headache Society breaks migraines down into two major categories: migraine without aura and migraine with aura.
Migraine without aura (no light show, but still awful) comes with diagnostic criteria that includes at least five attacks, plus:
Lasts for between four to 72 hours
Has two or more of the following characteristics:
one-sided (unilateral) location
throbbing (pulsatile) in nature
moderate to severe in intensity
exacerbated by every day physical activity, or causes an avoidance of such activity
There must also be:
Nausea and/or vomiting, and/or extreme light and sound sensitivity during an attack
Migraine with aura (this time with the flashy rock concert light show and special effects) is experienced by around one-third of migraineurs. An aura is a series of neurological symptoms that emerge before the headache and lasts from five minutes to an hour. These symptoms are unusual and distressing, but thankfully temporary.
Visual disturbance is the most common aura symptom, where sufferers witness a scintillating scotoma – a bizarre blind spot where bright, jagged, shimmering, or moving zigzags migrate outward on one side of a person’s vision. Additionally, another common symptom of aura is the sensation of pins and needles, typically affecting just one side of the body.
To diagnose Migraine with aura patients must experience at least two attacks featuring one or more of the following temporary aura symptoms:
Visual – Such as a scintillating scotoma.
Sensory – Including pins and needles or numbness.
Language and/or speech – Trouble speaking or understanding words.
Motor – Temporary muscle weakness.
Brainstem – Symptoms like weakness of speech muscles, dizziness, hypersensitivity to sound, double vision, or poor body coordination.
Retinal – Temporary blindness or blind spots.
There must also be at least three of the following:
At least one aura symptom spreads gradually over five-minutes or more.
Two or more aura symptoms that occur in succession.
Each individual aura symptom lasts between 5-60 minutes.
One or more aura symptoms are one-sided.
One or more aura symptoms are visual or sensory.
The aura either accompanies or precedes headache within the hour.
Weirdly, an aura can occur without the associated head pain.
Remember, pressure point therapy is most suited to soothing a tension headache. Now that you know the presentations associated with migraine and tension headache, you’ll be able to better navigate this maze-like quandary.
When should you pack it in and consult a doctor?
There are a number of headachy red flags; indicators that hint at a serious potential problem. These should not be ignored…
Unusually severe – Don’t worry about what others say; if it feels worse than usual it could be a concern.
Abnormally persistent – If a headache just won’t quit, check it out!
Continues to worsen over time – Headaches often get worse overtime, but if it’s already severe and it’s on an uphill trend, see a GP.
Resistant to over-the-counter medications – When your usual go-to’s stop working, it could be a sign.
Different to your previous experiences of headache – New and unusual symptoms deserve attention.
Sudden onset – Especially if you’ve hit your head.
New onset after 50 – New headaches later in life could warrant a closer look.
New and you’ve got other health issues – Like cancer (metastases), HIV (infection), neck trauma (bleed).
Wakes you from your sleep – Headache shouldn’t be your alarm clock.
Triggered by coughing, straining, or changes in posture – These shouldn’t bring on headaches.
Accompanied by strange symptoms:
Stroke can be coupled with facial dropping, difficulty raising the arms, or trouble speaking
Meningitis, an infection of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord, can cause chills, fever, vomiting, neck stiffness, drowsiness, confusion, rash, or pain triggered by peering at bright lights (known as photophobia).
If you tick one or more of these boxes, don’t wait. Getting professional advice is crucial to keeping you safe.
The Magic 8 Are Your Go-To Pressure Points For Tension Headache
So, you've pinpointed that nagging pain in your head as a tension headache, and you're all set for some DIY magic to make it vanish? Perfect, let’s roll up our sleeves and dive in.
Ever wonder why I call it the “Magic 8”? These aren’t just any random points; they're the cream of the crop, handpicked from my treasure trove of experience treating, oh, just thousands of patients.
This squad of heroes specialize in combating stiff necks, tight jaws, tense scalps, strained eyes, psychological stress and restless sleep. These spots are where your body’s silently screaming for attention.
Out of our magic 8, five are historically considered the MVPs for head pain. The rest? They've got your back for other associated upper body gripes — like neck cricks, shoulder shrugs, and jaw clenches. It probably won’t come as a surprise that some of these points are found on known muscle knots, also called myofascial trigger points.
A myofascial trigger point, is defined as a “hyper-irritable spot in skeletal muscle that is associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a taut band.” Picture a tender spot in the muscle that just won’t chill out, always fired up and ready to rumble, making everything around it just as tense.
Manual therapists of all persuasions have been poking these spots into submission for an aeon, because it works!
The Heroes… The Magic 8
Try grasping, kneading, or pressing each point as directed on both sides. If it helps take the edge off, consider catching some Zz’s – you’ll likely wake up feeling refreshed. If it feels too intense, try out the routine between headaches. The aim here is to dial down the pain and make those headaches less frequent.
1. BL2 Jingming (bright eyes)
Right at the inner corner of your eyebrow, there’s a bony depression that could use a gentle squeeze. Use your fingers to pinch and pull slightly – just enough to feel a bit of an ache. Hold until the sensation begins to mellow out. TIP – The hairs of your eyebrow can help you get a better grip.
2. TE23 Sizhukong (silken bamboo hollow)
At the end of your eyebrow, fall over the boney ridge onto the edge of the temple. A pinch and pull here can feel unexpectedly good. Release when the ache begins to ease. The skin here in more pliable, allowing a firmer pull.
3. M-HN-9 Taiyang (supreme yang)
In the centre of your temple there is a sweet spot waiting for some relief. Grasp just below the point with your middle, index finger, and thumb, pull outward so that an aching sensation is created. Now walk your middle and index fingers upward, rolling the skin between the thumb and fingers until you can go no further. Feel free to repeat for added relief.
4. ST6 Jiache (jaw vehicle)
Clench your teeth and notice the muscle that bulges? That’s your target. Once you’ve found it, relax your jaw, grab it softly and pull – a good ache here means you’re on the spot. As always, let go when the achiness begins to fade.
5. GV23 Shangxing (upper star)
On the midline, just behind your hairline, lies a perfect zone for some good massage. Use your fingers and thumb to knead your scalp all the way back to the crown of your head (Where GV20 – Hundred Meetings, another famous headache point resides). For a thorough scalp rub, take both hands and work backwards all over your scalp. There are lots of sensitive points to discover, especially around the ears.
Bonus — While your hair is between your fingers, make a fist and pull outward for a therapeutic hair pull. You can do this over your entire scalp.
6. GB20 Fengchi (wind pool)
Nestled under the base of your skull, between the attachments of the traps and SCM muscles, there lays the most famous headache point of all. Lace your fingers, with thumbs pointing downward, then place your hands behind your head. Your thumbs should fall into a gap below your skull and between your muscles. Leave one thumb on the point, then take you other hand and place it on your forehead. Push your head onto your thumb, while directing your thumb to the same side eye. There should be an intense achy sensation that spreads throughout your entire head. Ease off as the sensation fades.
7. LI18 Futu (support prominence)
Right at the side of your neck on your Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle, level with your Adam’s apple, there is a spot that is great for frontal headaches. Grasp it between your thumb and index finger, pull outward, so that a gentle ache is created.
Bonus — After grasping, spread some vapor rub over the area. Turn your head to the opposite side. Get a Chinese soup spoon and using short strokes, push downward (only) with the spoon along the SCM. After several strokes the skin may redden or purple. Stop before it gets too dark and irritated. These marks will fade in a few days. If marks concern you, either ease up earlier, or don’t do it.
8. GB21 Jianjing (shoulder pool)
Halfway between the point of your shoulder and base of your neck, you can grasp the muscle bulk of your traps. Grab it gently, until the sensation fades.
Bonus — Just like with LI18, a bit of vapour rub and a spoon can work wonders. This time turn your head to the opposite side and use small outward strokes. Keep an eye on the marks you may be creating.
Location of the magic 8 acupressure points for headache.
Mixing It Up With More Than Just Pills For Your Headache Fix
If you’ve got nagging tension headaches on repeat, you might find yourself reaching for meds (Neurophen, Panadol and the rest of the gang) like candy. Handy, for sure! But if popping pills has become your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it might be time for a strategy refresh. This is where a chat with your doctor could really open up some new avenues.
Doctors are very aware that juggling medications for headache management is a bit of a tightrope walk. Challenges include:
Tolerance – When your go-to relief starts giving you the cold shoulder.
Medication overuse headaches – Oh, the irony when your normally helpful meds start causing headaches too.
Side effects – No one signed up for gastritis or increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Contraindications – Especially tricky territory during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Integrating natural remedies and other complimentary therapies with your medications could be the game changer you’ve been looking for. Evidence suggests this strategy can achieve better symptom control and less reliance on medication. Fantastic, right!
Manual therapies, think physios, massage therapists, chiros, osteos and yes, acupuncturists, should not be forgotten.
Evidence shows that these wellness wizards are great at brewing up drug-free pain relief. When it comes to tension headaches you should expect pain reduction, but even more notably a sizable reduction in headache frequency.
If needles don’t make you squirm, acupuncture is the front runner in the tension headache race.
After decades under the research spotlight (some might say blow torch!) researchers have consistently demonstrated strong certainty of positive effect for tackling frequent episodic tension headaches and chronic tension headaches. Think of acupuncture as your VIP pass to fewer headachey days.
If you’re on the Gold Coast and open to giving acupuncture a whirl, swing by the Traditional Acupuncture Clinic. I’m ready to be of service with some gentle needles and massage. If you are somewhere else, contact any professional of the manual therapies, as they are all heroes for drug-free pain relief.
So, What Else Can I Try For These Peskey Headaches?
Great question! Let’s dive into some super interesting nuggets of wisdom that just might be key to unlocking your headache conundrum. You might not realize, but your headaches are likely to buddy up with other bothers.
Sleep disorders
Anxiety
Depression
Irritable bowel disease
Fibromyalgia
Back pain
Arthritis
High Blood Pressure
Obesity
Oral disorders
Sense organ disease
Yep, it turns out, headaches have quite the entourage. This revelation comes from a hefty analysis of data involving over 4 million sufferers of primary headache – that is tension headache, cluster headache and migraine.
Starting with the easy grabs…
Got dental woes or sinus issues? Sorting these out might just be the best thing you’ve done for your head pain. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone.
If you’re cruising past 40 and noticing your blood pressure is on the rise, there’s a bit more incentive to keep tabs on it. The link between headaches, especially migraines, and cardiovascular woes like heart attacks and strokes has been solid for over four decades. Looking after your cardiovascular health could keep those headaches at bay.
The weight of the matter…
Obesity has an association with headaches too, although the connection is a bit murky. Staying active seems to be more advantageous than being inactive, especially for those with migraines.
Joint issues… might want to look into that…
Arthritis isn’t just about creaky joints – it’s a mixture of joint, systemic inflammation, and pain regulation problems. This isn’t just an old person thing either, it frequently affects young people too, and it might just be stirring up your headaches.
The really big fish…
Back pain? Especially the persistent kind, could be laying out the welcome mat for many of your unwanted headaches. Despite concerns of tissue damage, it’s likely due to an overprotective nervous system.
If fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome are part of your life, it’s the same deal – an overly protective nervous system. It seems women under 40 are most likely to get the short end of the stick here.
Anxiety and depression are also frequent flyers in the headache world. It’s a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg scenario as headaches can kickstart these issues, but having these conditions also tends to invite headaches to the party.
And then there is sleep…
Or the lack of it. If you are tossing and turning, headaches are more likely to drop on by. Poor sleep and pain are like frenemies, messing with your body’s pain regulation and inflammatory systems.
Bringing It All Together For Holistic Headache Relief
When you piece it all together, incorporating self-massage on pressure points into your routine adds a personal touch to holistic headache relief. Alongside this hands-on approach, there’s a whole range of strategies beyond just meds. With a bit of effort, you could retrain your pain system to be less protective, elevate your mood, snag some quality sleep, engage yourself in enjoyable exercise, and eat food that benefits you. If that sounds like a tall order, remember there are health pros ready to lend a hand in hitting these goals, should you need it.
Author
Adam Hjort is a Registered Acupuncturist and member of Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA). He has been practicing since 2010 and maintains a clinic dedicated to the treatment of pain located in Ashmore, Gold Coast.
