What trigger points cause headaches

Overview

The results of several clinical trials show that common tension headaches are typically caused by trigger points in the following muscles: upper trapezius and sub-occipital muscle (most common, plus the temporalis, SCM, splenius capitus and levator scapulae muscles. In this article we will discuss where those trigger points are, what they are and how they can be treated.

Common tension headaches

The headaches discussed are chronic tension type headaches. In any one year 38% of people are said to suffer from these (1)⁠. They are not specific headaches such as migraines or cluster headaches.

CONTENTS

Trigger points
What the trials tell us
Self treatment for headache causing trigger points
Professionals
References

Trigger points

What are trigger points

Trigger points are those tender lumps in muscles that therapists find. We have a lot more information about what these are and what they do in our separate article trigger point basics.

Trigger points refer pain

Just like when you have pain down your left arm when you have a heart attack, trigger points commonly refer pain away from the actual lump. Scientists have mapped these referral patterns. This information is given on trigger point charts, commonly seen in professional offices. All the muscles discussed in this article commonly refer pain to the head.

Acupressure and other pressure points

There are many systems of points that are said to improve health and relieve pain. Most of these points are the same. What has happened is that they have been discovered independently and labelled differently (2)⁠ . “Trigger points” comes with more modern scientific research and explanations.

What the trials tell us

Common trigger points

We have marked the common trigger points on this diagram and listed the results in the table below. The most common sites for trigger points causing common tension headaches were the upper trapezius and sub occipital muscles. People with headaches tend to have large numbers of trigger points in these muscles. When the scientists pressed on these trigger points it caused the headache pain

The two trials where trigger points were treated provided very good results

Both trials where trigger points were treated produced excellent results. Further, they both used a simple procedure that with proper instructions can easily be self applied. We will discuss this below.

Pressure techniques

In both trials researchers used a simple pressure technique. The trigger points were found by examining for the lumps using flat finger tips. When the trigger points were found moderate painful pressure was applied for up to 90 seconds until the pain subsided. We show an affective variation of this on our Youtube video on massaging forearm muscles. Please discuss this with a professional though.

Vibration massagers

As we discuss in our article The scientifically proven effects of vibration massage- with clinical applications vibrations delivered by an effective massager penetrate better than manual massage and have excellent benefits. Further, it's application does not require and special massage skill. Therefore, if you follow the correct simple procedure and use an effective machine it should provide excellent benefits. In the case of the trigger points causing headaches, vibration massage would be excellent for larger muscles such as the upper trapezius. With care and the proper advice it would be excellent for muscles over the spine. It would not be suitable for thin muscles over the skull, like Temporalis.
To find out more about this therapy please see:
How to choose an effective massager
Vibration massage usage guide
Check out our economical, easy to use professional standard machines: the General Purpose Massager or our Ultimate Quad Head Massager