Headaches Are Muscular Problems Affected By Tightness In The Chest, Arms, Shoulders, Neck, and Jaw

Active Isolated Stretching and Strengthening (AIS) treats migraine, cluster, tension, or chronic headaches as a muscular disorder. The source of headache pain is excessive muscular tension in the upper body, neck, and jaw muscles. Muscular tightness or weakness in these areas will refer pain into the head region. Night time teeth grinding can also play a role in causing pain in the head. Migraine treatment involves lengthening and rebuilding the numerous muscles that uphold the head. Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) has the best treatment plan for reducing inflammation in muscles that cause chronic pain in the head region.

AIS therapy is an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaid's) and analgesic drugs. In the book Heal Joint Pain Naturally by Ellen Hodgson Brown, research found that "nsaid's and analgesic pain- relievers impede the body's ability to repair itself (page 20)." Nsaid's and analgesic drugs promote a cycle of dependence with detrimental consequences to the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Pain relieving drugs reduce inflammation temporarily as the solution to migraine, cluster, or tension head pain, without addressing the source of the pain. Active Isolated Stretching reduces inflammation by lengthening each tight muscle that is contributing to head pain. The long term solution to head pain involves rehabilitation to the muscles that support the head.

The textbook Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction written by Janet Travell, M.D. pioneered the concept of referred pain problems. This concept is also called trigger point theory. Dr. Travell discusses how inflexibility or trauma in specific muscles will cause pain to corresponding regions of the body. Dr. Travell's trigger point theory illuminated the finding that the area where pain is felt and the source of pain can be two separate regions.

Following Dr. Travell's trigger point theory, AIS approaches head pain by first opening the muscles of the chest, shoulders, upper arms, and upper back. The theory is to open muscular regions close to the head, in order to resolve pain in the head. Attention must focus on reducing tension in the scapula region. The scapula is also known as the shoulder blades. And the scapula is the major landmark bone of the upper back. Numerous muscles of the shoulder, neck, and upper back attach to the scapula at one end. And reducing pressure on the scapula will decrease headache pain. Tension in the biceps, triceps, deltoids, pectorals (chest), latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius muscles all play a role in the placement of the scapula. So tightness in any of these upper body muscles can pull the scapula bone out of anatomical position. Displacement of the scapula can cause referred pain to the head region.

As previously stated, the AIS approach examines migraines by looking at significant muscles that support the skull. The head is above the chest, shoulders, and upper back; and the area closest to the head is the neck. Dr. Travell states that inflexibility in the neck muscles will also refer pain to the head region. Because muscles work in groups, opening the chest, shoulders, and upper back first; will optimally lengthen muscles of the neck. The scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, and levator scapula are some muscles of the neck that need to be treated to resolve chronic headache pain.

A third area worth mentioning is the muscles of the jaw. Jaw pain is also known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Like any joint that gets a lot of use, the jaw is susceptible to pain and dysfunction through regular usage. Jaw pain can be referred from stressed muscles of the upper body, particularly muscles of the neck and shoulders. And, jaw pain can be caused by grinding the teeth at night. When teeth grinding is a factor, AIS will release the pain but other methods of stress reduction (like pranayama yoga, hypnosis, or meditation) must be learned to stop the cycle of teeth grinding. The key muscle of TMJ is the digastric muscle. The digastric muscle plays a primary role in all types of headaches. The digastric (jaw) muscle can be opened through the Active Isolated Stretching process.

Reducing inflammation has long been advocated for treatment of migraine and cluster head pain. But many health professionals are not sure exactly where inflammation needs to be treated or which type of treatment should be utilized. Dr. Janet Travell's textbook outlines the muscles that cause migraines. But Dr. Travell's treatment plan of using injections into damaged muscle tissue is not the most effective. Active Isolated Stretching employs a unique form of muscle lengthening in replacement of Dr. Travell's injections. And Active Isolated Stretching techniques are most effective in implementing Travell's trigger point theory - far superior than Travell's injections. Aaron Mattes, the developer of AIS, wrote his own book called Active Isolated Stretching: The Mattes Method. Both books can be cross-referenced to see a blueprint on how to resolve chronic pain in the head. Dr. Travell's book states "what" causes headache pain. Aaron Mattes' book shows "how" to implement AIS into Dr. Travell's findings.