Tension Headaches
A tight band or steady pressure that builds through the day, often climbing up from a stiff neck and tight shoulders.
What it is
This kind of headache is often driven by muscle tension, not by anything inside the head. The muscles at the base of the skull, along the neck, across the scalp, and in the jaw can hold tension and refer pain up into the head. That's why the ache can feel like it has no single source.
What makes it worse
Long stretches at a desk or screen, a clenched jaw, ongoing stress, and short or broken sleep all feed the pattern. It often ramps up on heavy work days and eases a little when the neck and shoulders get a break.
How PNMT helps
Your therapist starts with your headache history, then uses neck range-of-motion and specific muscle tests to sort out whether the pain is coming from the neck (cervicogenic) or a tension-type pattern, and which muscles are involved. Treatment is precise work on muscles like the suboccipitals, upper trapezius, and cervical group, guided by your feedback until the referral into your head is reproduced. If the cause looks non-muscular, your therapist will say so and refer you on.
What to expect & how long
Headache patterns rarely clear in one visit, because the muscles feeding them have usually worked this way for a while. Plan on a short series of visits. Recent flare-ups tend to settle faster than years-old patterns. Each visit, you and your therapist compare how your head and neck feel, and that decides where the next session focuses.
What clients say
Sarah and her team are amazing healers. I was having constant headaches and they were able to expediently reduce the pain and frequency. I now go once every 4-6 weeks for a tune up to relieve stress, and headaches have been at bay for over 9 months. These folks really know the human body and can help you live pain free.
This place is incredible! I had terrible headaches every day for over a year and I was loosing hope of finding relief because nothing was working. Within a few weeks of being treated at Somavida my headaches subsided exponentially! I have also been suffering from severe TMJ and they have helped that significantly too! I highly recommend this place. If you want relief from pain... this is the place to go!!! They are knowledgeable and friendly and super cost effective. Can't say enough good things. This place changed my life for the e better. So grateful to have found this great resource!
WOW! I am headache free for the first time in years. So grateful that I found Sarah. Literally, her treatments have changed my life. Not only am I headache free, but Sarah has also been able to reduce and eliminate back, hip and wrist pain that I have suffered with for a long time. I did not know what it felt like to be pain free! Sarah is a great listener and did a great job of following what my body needed. And it only took a few treatments to see results! Highly recommend.
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Get help for Tension Headaches
Book a New Client Session. Your therapists will find the source of your pain and build a treatment plan for you.
75-minute first visit. Two therapists assess and one treats. Every follow-up is one-on-one with your therapist.
The whole Somavida team stands behind your treatment plan.