MoxieGirl Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Hi gang, Sorry I haven't been on-line for a few weeks. Or longer. On top of a full-time job I'm also doing a massage therapy course, which is chewing up ALL my free time. But, the course will be over in a couple months and my surfing habits will return to normal. As part of the training to become a massage therapist, I am receiving quite a few massages. Some are at our weekend classes, which are every 3 weeks. But my best friend is also doing the course, so we use each other to practice on. So I've been getting about a massage every week or so for the last few months. I've noticed an odd thing. My cluster attacks have taken a pretty substantial nose dive, along with me getting a lot less daily chronic headaches. I haven't really done anything else different in the last 3-4 months. In fact, I haven't taken shrooms in weeks! Prior to this reduction in clusters, I was taking shrooms every couple of weeks, but they weren't making a huge impact on my clusters. I'm not 100% sure my improvement in attacks is down to massage. It may be the shrooms have finally kicked in. Or that my stress levels are so high from non-stop work, massage course, work, that they are staying away. But there has been a noticeable change in how many attacks I'm getting, which corresponds to a period when I'm getting a lot of massages. So, has anyone else tried massage to treat clusters? If you live in or around Suffolk, England, would you like to try? I'll offer free massages to anyone with clusters in my area. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Only Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 My neurologists, several different ones, told me not to go to have massage or physiotherapy while in cycle - I was chronic then. I was stupid enough to listen to them for years. I finally did go to physiotherapy when chronic and it was a huge help. I was having 4-8 KIP 10's every day, the worst part of my CH career I have ever had. I had huge muscle locks everywhere in my back. My girlfriend at the time massaged these while I was having hits and we found certain points where massage, when done correctly, seemed even to make O2 work better or faster. We used a magic marker and my girlfriend drew circles around these points when I headed to my first physiotherapy. My physiotherapist had already read about CH and I had my O2 with me. He said almost all of them were trigger points. And I did not need O2 once. Physiotherapy did not even trigger a shadow (neurologists said it would trigger an attack), maybe because we were able to "target" it right from the start. If I would need to or was able to I would go get massaged right away I have nothing but good to say about it. IV Cortisone gave birth to some muscle deformations in my back, making already an awful situation worse. The same physiotherapist said he has never seen anything like it, could not tell what they were and he had been practising for decades. They disappeared when I got rid of that poison. I would recommend careful massage that aims to find the problem spots to any CH patient anytime. So cool you are into this MoxieGirl ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClusterHeadSurvivor Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Everyone is different... Prior to brain surgery I had a chiropractor offer me free adjustments as he swore he would "cure" me. Didnt help one bit, I also had physio which did nothing for me. Everyone is differrent. However Ill never turn down a massage from a beautiful woman.....my wife. What works for some may not work for others. But ya never know until you try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickle Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 The wrong massage will trigger both ch and migraines for me. Yet, the right kind can relieve it a smidge. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorgeinsf Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 So, has anyone else tried massage to treat clusters? yes, I find that massages help. The ones that I feel help the most are Shiatsu and Thai massages as they incorporate chi and pressure points or tsubos as well as meridians. I also make sure to tell my masseuse that I am having headaches so they can focus on tsubos around my head. A strong massage in necessary. I also want to note that Thai massage is not for everyone as it uses extreme stretching that may be too much for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoxieGirl Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Here are some techniques that you might find helpful for a headache or cluster. I've had this sort of massage clear a headache before, but haven't tried it too much on clusters. For one, my clusters have significantly reduced since getting regular massages, so haven't had a chance to test it. You may find many of these pressure points are very sensitive during an attack, so go careful. Pressure Points 1. Place your thumbs on either side of the bridge of your nose at the base where it joins your forehead. 2. Squeeze the bridge of your nose by pushing your thumbs towards each other. Apply firm pressure. Hold for ten seconds release and repeat x5. Keep your thumbs in the same place on but rotate so the pads of your thumbs face up towards your forehead. Press upwards with your thumbs, hold for 10 seconds, release and repeat 5 times Massage the area under your eyebrows. Move your fingers and repeat again 4. Place your three centre fingers on your temples. Apply steady firm pressure and hold it for 10 seconds. Massage this area in a circular motion. Stretch your neck muscles 5. Tilt to your head to one side, lowering your ear towards your shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds. Do the same stretch on the other side. Repeat this neck stretch alternating from side to side with a rest stop in between until the muscles on both sides of your neck feel relaxed. Drop your chin to your chest to stretch the back of your neck. Hold the stretch 10 seconds and then return your neck upright. Repeat this stretch in the opposite direction. Massage the back of your neck and base of your skull 6-8. Use your finger tips to massage up and down your neck. Place the fingertips of both hands on the base of your skull on either side of your neck. Use a circular motion to massage the base of your skull. Move your fingers out towards your ears slowly. Keep a glass of water with you during this massage MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleyoop Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Good stuff MG, good stuff!! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejeeber Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Yeah thanks MG - I've saved that info and chart to my cluster files where I go first if I need to try something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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