Can Massage Help Headaches

If you have had headaches or migraines for a long time, you have probably been told it’s stress. Maybe more than once, by more than one person, in a tone that suggested the conversation was over.

I want to start somewhere else. Whatever is going on, it’s real, you are not imagining the days it takes from you, and it is absolutely worth asking about.

You are in very good company

The World Health Organization puts it this way.

headache disorders affect approximately 40% of the population, or 3.1 billion people in 2021

Three billion people. Whatever anyone has implied to you about making a fuss, this is one of the most common things a human body does, and it is taken seriously by the people who study it.

Doctors are paying more attention to massage too. In a 2025 survey of 1,000 American adults for the American Massage Therapy Association, 22 percent of people who had discussed massage with a doctor said the doctor referred them to a massage therapist. That shift matters to me. I would like this work to be somewhere people are sent, not somewhere they end up.

See the research

• World Health Organization, Migraine and other headache disorders. The quote above is word for word from that fact sheet.
• American Massage Therapy Association, Consumer Views and Use of Massage Therapy, 2025. An online survey of a representative US sample of 1,000 adults, July 11 to 13, 2025. Of consumers who discussed massage therapy with their doctor or medical provider, 22 percent were referred to a massage therapist.

What massage can genuinely offer you

The neck, the jaw, the base of the skull and the tops of the shoulders are the places I can reach, and that is where my work on headaches stays.

Victoria Bodner, a licensed massage therapist at Cleveland Clinic, describes the range of it simply.

Massage is a great tool for relaxation, pain relief, easing muscle tension and more

The same article says studies of massage for pain, headaches included, show the relief may be short term rather than long term. What I will not do is tell you massage treats headaches or migraines, because the evidence does not support anyone saying so. Migraine care belongs with a physician. What I can do is work the tension that travels with it.

Yamel M. put the part I care most about into one line on my Google page.

He is very attentive and he listens to what your body needs.

See the research

• Cleveland Clinic, Everything You Need to Know About Massage Therapy. The quote above is word for word, attributed to licensed massage therapist Victoria Bodner. The article notes that studies on massage for pain such as acute back pain, neck pain, headaches and knee pain show the relief may be short term rather than long term.

What happens when you come in

I’ll ask how often they arrive, how long they last, where they start, and what you were doing beforehand. That last question is the one most people have never been asked, and it’s usually where something useful turns up.

Then I work the neck, the upper back, the base of the skull and the scalp, which is Head and Neck Relief. Face down first, then face up, so the front of the neck and the jaw get reached instead of skipped. I’ll put my hands on the place you tell me hurts before anything else, because you have been living with it and it deserves acknowledging before it gets explained.

If a larger area is holding it, your shoulders and upper back included, we’ll feel it and work on it too. I’ll ask what you’d prefer rather than assuming, and I’ll check in as we go.

You do not have to arrive with it figured out. Bringing it to someone who will take the time is enough.

When a headache belongs to a doctor

I would rather be the person who says this than the person who does not.

The NHS guidance on headaches says to call for emergency help (911 here) or go to an emergency room for a headache that started suddenly and is extremely painful, or that comes with a seizure, numbness or weakness in the face or body, trouble speaking, balancing, walking or remembering, drowsiness or confusion, loss of vision, a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it, or a very high temperature with a stiff neck or bright lights bothering you. The same goes for a headache after a head injury in the last three months.

It says to get an urgent doctor’s appointment for a headache with vision or eye problems, one brought on or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercise, one with vomiting, or a headache with jaw pain when eating or a sore, tender scalp.

Headaches that come regularly, or that are not getting better or are getting worse, also deserve a physician’s eyes. A change in the pattern is information.

Once that’s been done, if what remains is muscular tension, that part is mine and it is well worth working. There’s more on how I think about that in the post on when massage is not the answer.

See the research

• NHS, Headaches. The emergency and urgent lists above follow that page. It also says to see a doctor if you regularly get headaches, or if a headache is not getting better or is getting worse after treating it yourself. The NHS is the United Kingdom's health service; in the United States, call 911.

If you want to come in

Tell me what you’re hoping for. You will get a longer conversation here than you have probably had about this, and you will not have to make the case for being bothered by it.

If this would be your first time, the first visit page walks through the hour. Sessions run the same flat rate, 100 dollars for sixty minutes, 150 for ninety and 200 for two hours. Booking runs through the online schedule, and the contact page reaches me directly.

For the fastest response, call or text 813.797.0406.

Frequently asked questions

Can massage help my headaches?

I can work the neck, jaw and shoulder tension that so often travels with them. It is not a treatment for headaches or migraines, and I’ll always be straight with you about that difference.

Which session should I book?

Head and Neck Relief, which covers the neck, upper back and scalp. If your shoulders have been bad for months too, tell me and we’ll decide together in the room.

Will one session be enough?

I don’t know, and I’d be wary of anyone who claims to. Book one, notice what the following week is like, and we’ll work it out together.

Should I come in while I have a headache?

Some people find the room itself helps. Others find any touch too much mid headache and would rather come between episodes. Both are completely normal.

What if I’ve been told it’s just stress?

Then you’ve been told something that might be true and was almost certainly said too quickly. You’ll get a longer conversation here than that, and you’ll be listened to. More answers are on the FAQ page.