We have had many clients tell us what causes their headaches: sinuses, food, coffee, odours, hunger, lack of sleep - the list goes on. But, what actually mediates­ the pain, or makes a link between the causal factor and the pain itself?

Obviously there is still much information missing. But in many cases, the pain itself comes from trigger points in the neck and head. And pain from trigger points in the neck and head can be relieved by releasing those trigger points.

There are three main categories (oversimplifying) of headache people:

• No headache people may have very tight, even painful, muscles in their necks, but they seldom if ever get headaches.
• Ordinary headache people are people who get a headache now and then, perhaps once or twice a month which is seldom severe enough to interfere significantly with work or activities.
• Severe headache people suffer tremendously. Not only do they suffer from the pain of the headaches, which is often disabling, but they suffer from loss of work, loss of the pleasure, of leisure activities, and sometimes the thinly disguised impatience of others who don't understand what they're going through.

Medical authorities have studied and categorized severe headaches to a high degree. We are certainly not an expert on the medical classification of headaches and their symptoms, but we suggest that, in addition to whatever regimen a patient's physician may prescribe, massage therapy (particularly along the lines of  myofascial, neuromuscular or trigger point work), is well worth a try.

Soft-tissue pain can mimic the symptoms of many disorders, and can also contribute to pain from other causes. In addition, many people engage in self-diagnosis. The word "migraine" has come to mean "a really, really bad headache" to many people.

Our professional experience is that massage therapy can often ameliorate or relieve a wide variety of headaches - even migraines, even when medically diagnosed as such.

And it is risk-free.