I recently read an article about how the medical community has been doing studies on the effects of electrical stimulation to the occipital nerve for the relief of migraines. They made it sound as if this was a brand new finding. Maybe for them it was. They are looking into using a small electrical impulse delivering device that is surgically implanted near the occipital nerve in order to help relieve migraines in patients that have tried other types of therapy without getting relief. They are finding that when the occipital nerve is interrupted by electrical impulse it can help to relieve the pain of migraines. This sounds great, but I wonder why they did not mention the effects of massage or electrical acupuncture in the same area of the body without the use of invasive surgery?
Massage therapists and acupuncturists have known for years that working the occipital region can help to relieve migraines and headaches. I have been doing this for people ever since I learned how back during massage school. About 80% of the time my clients have reported relief from migraines by my use of massage or electrical acupuncture in the occipital region. It is much less invasive and I would assume it is also much safer than implanting an electrical stimulating device near the nerve. I also wonder why they did not include information about the use of electrical acupuncture. I have a device in my store that is available to the public and professionals that delivers electrical stimulation to relieve trigger points. It is called the Super Pen and it can be used almost anywhere on the body and for more than just the relief of migraines. Wouldn't this device be very similar to the one they want to surgically implant? Wouldn't this be much safer and portable because it can be carried in your pocket or purse and used when needed? It also delivers the impulses without needles or any kind of penetration besides the electrical impulse being carried to the area of concern. These pens often feature a trigger point locator that is built into the device. Our super pen that we have will light up a green light when it is over a trigger point telling you where to deliver the impulses for maximum effect. It is adjustable and almost painless. Some people don't feel it at all while others can feel a pinching sensation.
As many of you already know I share an office with Dr. Gary Sherman. Dr. Sherman and I had a video made of how to use trigger point therapy techniques for migraine and headache relief. Although he is a chiropractor he has also instructed therapists and chiropractors on the use of trigger point therapy. We both use these techniques in our office with great success. He goes beyond just working the occipital region and shows areas all over the head, neck and shoulders that can be part of the cause of migraine pain. I highly recommend the use of these techniques before trying something as invasive as having an electrical impulse device implanted near your occipital nerve.
I appreciate the medical community and have great respect for them. I just wish they would give more credit to the alternative health community by at least mentioning the therapies we offer and referring to us more often than they do. I know when I have a client with migraines and my therapy does not seem help them as much as anticipated, I do refer them to a medical doctor. Many of them have already tried many different medical drugs, therapies and procedures before they decided to try alternative health methods and are reluctant to go back to the medical community for help. This new procedure with the surgically implanted device should be available very soon. From what I read about it, it is going to be recommended for patients that have not experienced relief from any other types of treatment. For these people it has been proven to be very effective.
This article is based on the professional opinion of the author and is intended for educational purposes only. The author does not diagnose or treat disease. The clients that the author has worked with for these conditions have provided their diagnoses of migraines or headaches on an intake form for massage. The author also exercises care to be sure that his clients of massage do not have any contraindications for treatment.
Dwayne Crandall, LMT researched and wrote this article on the subject: Massage for Migraines and Headaches http://www.massagevillage.com/ Please place an active link to this =>Massage Village website when you decide to publish this article. | |
