Massage & Acupuncture Insights

Headache Massage in Maple Ridge: Why It Happens and Who Gets It

By Dylan Kim, RMT, R.Ac  |  Primera Therapy, Maple Ridge, BC

Quick answer: Tension headache massage is one of the most common reasons patients walk through our doors, and for good reason. Tension-type headaches are by far the most frequent kind of headache we see in the clinic, and they are almost always tied to tight, overworked muscles in the neck, shoulders, jaw, and scalp rather than anything happening deep inside the head itself. Because the cause is muscular, targeted massage therapy and acupuncture are often able to reduce both the frequency and the intensity of these headaches.

What a Tension Headache Actually Feels Like

Tension-type headaches usually show up as a dull, steady pressure rather than the sharp, one-sided throbbing of a migraine. Patients often describe it as a tight band squeezed around the forehead, or a heaviness that spreads from the base of the skull up over the top of the head. It is mild to moderate in most cases, and it tends to build gradually over the course of a day rather than striking suddenly.

This is not a rare complaint. Tension-type headache is the most common primary headache in adults, and it makes up a large share of all headaches people experience over a lifetime. In our clinic, it is by far the most common type of headache patients come in for, more than migraines or any other headache pattern.

Why Tension Headaches Happen

The exact mechanism behind tension-type headache is still debated in the research world, but one piece shows up again and again in clinical studies and in our own assessments: muscle tension and trigger points in the head, neck, and shoulders. Muscles such as the suboccipitals at the base of the skull, the upper trapezius, the sternocleidomastoid in the neck, and the temporalis at the temple are known to hold trigger points that refer pain directly into the classic tension headache pattern. When these muscles stay contracted for long periods, whether from stress, posture, or overuse, they can develop tender, tight bands of tissue that keep firing pain signals into the head.

A few common contributors we see driving this muscle tension include:

• Prolonged screen time and forward head posture, which overloads the suboccipital and upper trapezius muscles
• Ongoing stress or anxiety, which tends to increase baseline muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and jaw
• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding, which loads the temporalis and masseter muscles and can radiate pain up into the temple
• Poor sleep posture or an unsupportive pillow, which keeps the neck muscles guarded overnight
• Old neck injuries, including whiplash from a motor vehicle accident, which can leave the neck muscles chronically tight long after the initial injury

Who We See Coming in With Tension Headaches

The Desk Worker With End-of-Day Headaches

This is our most common presentation. Patients who spend long hours at a computer often notice their headache building through the afternoon and peaking by early evening. On assessment, the upper trapezius and suboccipital muscles are almost always tender and tight, and correcting the underlying posture pattern is a key part of lasting relief.

The High-Stress Patient

Stress does not just live in the mind. It shows up physically as guarded, tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, and jaw, and many patients only realize how much tension they are holding once we start treating it. These patients often notice their headaches track closely with busy or stressful weeks at work.

ICBC and Whiplash Patients

Headaches are an extremely common complaint after a motor vehicle accident. Whiplash injuries frequently leave the neck and upper shoulder muscles tight and guarded, and this pattern can trigger tension headaches long after the initial pain from the accident has settled down. Addressing these muscles directly is often an important part of a full ICBC recovery plan.

How Massage Therapy and Acupuncture Can Help

Clinical research on tension-type headache has consistently pointed to trigger points in the neck and shoulder muscles as a meaningful contributor, and studies on massage therapy have shown reductions in the number of active trigger points, along with improvements in headache frequency and pain levels, after a course of trigger point treatment. This matches closely with what we see in the clinic when we work directly on the suboccipitals, upper trapezius, and temporalis.

Our registered massage therapy sessions for tension headache typically include:

• Trigger point release in the suboccipitals, upper trapezius, and sternocleidomastoid
• Deep tissue work through the neck and shoulders to reduce baseline muscle tension
• Gentle jaw and temple work when clenching or grinding is contributing to the pattern
• Postural and stretching guidance to reduce how quickly the tension builds back up

You can read more about our approach to this kind of muscular work in our article on deep tissue massage.

The research picture for acupuncture and tension headache is more mixed than it is for massage. Some systematic reviews report a meaningful reduction in headache frequency and intensity with acupuncture, particularly over the longer term, while others find the effect is not statistically significant compared to sham treatment. In our own practice, acupuncture tends to work best as part of a combined plan alongside massage therapy, particularly for patients whose muscles stay guarded even after manual treatment, or who prefer a needling approach to help the muscles relax between massage sessions.

Tips to Reduce Tension Headaches Between Visits

• Take a short break every 30 to 45 minutes if you work at a screen, and reset your posture rather than letting your head drift forward
• Notice whether you are clenching your jaw during focused or stressful moments, and consciously let it relax
• Apply gentle heat to the base of the skull and upper shoulders in the evening if tension tends to build during the day
• Check that your pillow supports your neck in a neutral position overnight rather than tilting it up or to one side

These habits will not fully replace treatment, but they can reduce how often the muscle tension builds up to headache level between appointments.

The Takeaway

Tension headaches are the headache pattern we treat most often at Primera Therapy, and in almost every case, the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and jaw are playing a central role. A tension headache massage plan built around trigger point release and postural correction, combined with acupuncture where appropriate, gives most patients a practical way to bring both the frequency and the intensity of their headaches down.

All of our practitioners at Primera Therapy are Registered Massage Therapists and Registered Acupuncturists registered with the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC (CCHPBC), and we offer direct billing for ICBC claims and most extended health insurance plans. If tension headaches have become a regular part of your week, we would be glad to take a closer look at what is driving them.

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