Tension Prevention

Defensive strategies to block out incoming headaches.

Set up your defense on multiple fronts to ward off the next head splitter. Try these strategies individually or in any combination. (Though we don’t recommend a rubdown until after the needles come out.)

 

Hit the gym on a regular basis

Regular exercise can help stave off migraines as well as drugs can, according to a new Swedish study. People who exercised for 40 minutes three times a week had the same reduction in migraines as people who took the prescription migraine drug topiramate.

 

Give acupuncture a chance

Acupuncture may reduce the frequency of tension headaches and can also be an effective treatment, according to a recent review from the Cochrane Collaboration. And a separate Cochrane review concluded the same for migraine sufferers. Everyone onto the table!

 

Book a rubdown

Myofascial release, a special tissue-stretching technique, can help prevent tension headaches when applied to a person’s back, neck, and face, a study in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies found. Participants’ headache frequency fell by more than half.

 

 

Image from Stockxchange.