Relieve Headaches in the Forehead

Headaches in the forehead are usually caused by tension and trigger points in your muscles, but can be alleviated with simple techniques and eliminated in the long term.

You just have to know how!

Trigger points and muscle tension do not simply disappear into thin air.

On the contrary: If you do nothing, they persist for years and sometimes, if not frequently, cause pain.

In this case, a headache in the forehead.

Of course, the cause of your headaches may also lie in a systemic disease or structural damage to your skull – such as due to an accident.

Fortunately, however, this is rarely the case.

On this page I will be focusing on headaches that are caused by your muscles.

1. Headache in the forehead: Your self-massage

You can usually get trigger points and tight muscles under control with a self-massage.

Trigger points respond well to a precise massage and can, in a manner of speaking, be “massaged out” of the muscles.

Too much muscle tension can also be reduced by a self-massage, because you are “communicating” with your nervous system through the pressure you apply to the muscles.

Your nervous system is the control centre of your body and therefore, also that of your muscle tension.

Massage yourself daily until your pain is eliminated!

Below, I will take you step by step through the self-massage of certain muscles and the parts of the body that can potentially cause headaches in the forehead.

Please don’t let yourself be intimidated by my occasional use of various technical terms.

You will understand everything and know just what to do.

Your first step is to find tight and pressure-sensitive muscles, and then to massage them.

1.1 Headache in the forehead: Self-massage of the front and sides of the neck region

Muscle: Sternocleidomastoid

The sternocleidomastoid muscle is the noticeable muscle located at the side of your neck and is often responsible for forehead pain.

It consists of two strands, which you will test for tenderness and massage if necessary.

The first strand – also called pars sternalis – runs from your sternum to your occiput.

Use a pincer grip to grasp and feel the muscle.

Start with its tendon at the upper end of the sternum, which merges into the muscle after a few centimetres.

Roll the sternocleidomastoid between your fingers and examine it in this way for painful spots.

Inspect it along its entire length, all the way to the occiput. Massage each painful spot by rolling between your fingers.

Examine the muscle on both sides of your neck as it projects the pain on the opposite site of the forehead.

If you feel a pulse when palpating or doing the massage, then you have come across an artery in your neck.

Let it go and grab the muscle again, only this time without the artery, and continue with your massage.

Proceed in the same way with the other strand – the pars clavicularis – of the sternocleidomastoid.

It extends from your collarbone and gets covered a few centimetres above by the sternal part of the muscle.

Place your fingers on the inner third of your collarbone and use the pincer grip to grab the overlying sternocleidomastoid.

You can follow it upwards only for a few centimetres, because after that it is covered by the sternal portion of the muscle.

Examine the area for painful spots and massage each your thumb and index finger.

1.2 Headache in the forehead: Self-massage of the face

Muscle: Zygomaticus major

The zygomaticus major is a muscle of your face.

It runs from the zygomatic arch to the mouth and is also known as the risible muscle because it pulls your mouth upward.

However, it can also cause headaches in the forehead, which is why we will be working on it here.

First run your fingers along your zygomatic arch/cheekbone. This is the bone you can clearly feel at the lateral edge of your eye socket. Try to find the bottom edge with your fingers.

Hold the muscle located there between your fingers using the pincer grip from the side.

You will probably need to attempt this a few times before you have it between your fingers.

Experiment a little with your position and eventually you will succeed.

Next, look for painful areas in the muscle going from the cheekbone to your lateral upper lip and massage each one of them a few times using rolling movements.

1.3 Headache in the forehead: Self-massage of the forehead

Muscle: Frontalis

The frontalis is a thin muscle that moves your scalp – for example, when frowning – and frequently causes headaches in the forehead in case of excessive tension.

You will not be able to it feel directly, but you will feel that it is sensitive to pressure in case of tension or the presence of trigger points.

Look for tenderness in the area above the “inner” end of the eyebrow on the side of your forehead that is affected, and massage the painful spot, if present, using your fingers.

That means you massage it with short strokes that start just before the painful spot and go to just beyond it.

15 such strokes are more than adequate for one massage session.

1.4 Headache in the forehead: Self-massage of the nape of the neck

Muscle: Semispinalis capitis

Although this muscle can send pain to the forehead region, it is rarely involved.

I would like to mention it anyway for the sake of thoroughness.

This is a muscle of your cervical spine, which is covered by other neck muscles.

Therefore, you can hardly feel it, but you will feel that it is sensitive to pressure in case of tension or the presence of trigger points.

If those are present, they are located directly at the point of transition of your cervical spine to the skull.

Check whether this area is sensitive to pressure and massage it with your fingers or the Trigger Fairy.

The disadvantage of doing massages with your fingers is that they tire relatively quickly.

Use caution in this area and start with very short massage sessions and observe how your body reacts to them.

If you do it too briskly, you might bring on dizziness and nausea for a few days.

To massage the semispinalis capitis, place the Fairy on the muscles of the cervical spine.

Massage it by pressing the Fairy into the muscles and moving your head very slowly making “yes-no” movements.

Examples of massage positions for your fingers

1

The area to be massaged is located from here upwards.

2

Support the hand that is doing the massage.

Press into the muscle and make slow “yes-no” movements.

Thank you for reading and I hope this information helps you alleviate your headaches.