Types of Headaches and Occipital Points

Tension, sinus, and occipital headaches all have different causes. Discover the occipital points and find out which massage can bring you relief.

Harmony massage Wioletta Soliwoda

9/18/20264 min read

Types of Headaches and Occipital Points: What Really Helps?

Find out about the most common types of headaches, what the occipital points are, and which treatments in my studio can bring you relief.

Do you know that feeling?

Pressure behind the eyes, a band around the temples, throbbing on one side of the head. You reach for a pill, you wait for it to pass. In a few days everything comes back.

There are more than a dozen types of headaches. Each one has a different source. In my studio I most often see three: tension headache, sinus headache, and the one that comes from the cervical spine. In this article I show how to recognize them and which treatments can help. I also explain what the occipital points are: spots at the base of the skull that play a key role in the first two types.

Tension headache: why does it affect the most people?

It's the type almost every woman knows. A band around the head, a neck that won't let go all day, temples throbbing in the evening after work. Tension headache is the most common type, it affects up to 70% of people. It usually has one source: overloaded muscles of the neck, shoulders, and head.

Long hours at the desk, a phone pressed to the ear, stress. All of this makes the muscles harden and tighten the structures around the head.

Relaxation massage that works on the neck and shoulders helps. So does Kobido, a Japanese facial massage that works the temporal muscles, the masseters (the muscles you use for chewing), and the neck muscles.

Sinus and migraine headache: when the problem runs deeper

Pressure under the eyes, the forehead as if someone were pressing from inside, blocked ears, a feeling of a foggy head. These are the symptoms of a sinus headache. It shows up especially in spring and autumn, with pressure changes and allergies.

Few people have heard of it. But it's worth knowing: it's an effective treatment for this type of pain. Ear coning is a gentle therapy with herbal candles. It helps with fluid build up, jaw tension, and the feeling of blockage.

With migraine, things are more complex. Severe attacks call for a consultation with a neurologist. Between attacks, relaxation massage and fascia work (fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around your muscles) can reduce how often they come back.

Headache at the back of the head: a signal from the cervical spine

The back of the head, the neck, pain radiating down the neck. This is often a signal from the cervical spine, the part of the spine in your neck. It can result from a disc problem (when the cushion between two vertebrae shifts out of place), muscle contractures, or simply years spent in a poor position.

Cupping helps. It's a treatment that uses suction to relax the deep layers of tissue, improve circulation, and reduce tension around the spine. A second effective approach is rehabilitative relaxation massage that works on the cervical section.

It's exactly with this type of headache, and with tension headache, that the occipital points play a key role. Few people have ever heard of them.

What are the occipital points?

The occipital points are spots at the base of the skull. They sit on both sides of the spine, where the neck muscles especially like to hold tension. These are small hollows. You can feel them just under the back of the skull, between the neck muscles.

When they are overloaded, you may notice:

- headache, especially at the back of the head, radiating toward the temples

- neck and shoulder tension: stiffness, difficulty turning the head

- a feeling of a heavy head, as if you were carrying something too heavy on your shoulders

- fatigue and stress, because muscle tension amplifies the feeling of exhaustion

How can you help yourself at home?

A few simple steps you can use at home, as a complement to massage.

1. Find the occipital points with your fingertips, at the base of the skull. Apply gentle, circular pressure for 30 to 60 seconds. The pressure should feel good, not painful.

2. Breathe slowly and deeply while you press. Breath strengthens the relaxing effect, muscles respond to oxygen.

3. Repeat briefly, but regularly. A short daily practice works better than one intense session once a month.

4. Drink a glass of water after the massage. Dehydrated muscles are more tense.

When should you not massage yourself, and when should you see a doctor?

Do not massage the occipital points if they are inflamed or if you have a fresh injury. Skip it too if you have dizziness or other serious health problems. First, talk to a specialist.

The same applies to headaches in general. If a headache appears suddenly, is very severe, or comes with vision or speech problems, you need a doctor, not a massage. Massage and manual therapy work well for chronic, tension, and sinus headaches. My job is to help the body return to balance, not to replace medicine.

What does a studio session give you that self massage doesn't?

Self applied pressure brings relief. But it won't replace the work of an experienced therapist. She knows the anatomy, finds the source of the tension, and works with the whole muscle chain, not just the symptom.

At Harmony studio in Wroclaw, I work with neck tension, headaches, and overloaded necks. Every body is different. I choose from relaxation massage, Kobido, ear coning, or cupping, depending on what your body shows me.

A headache has many faces, and just as many possible solutions. Tension, sinus, migraine, or the one at the back of the head: each one is worth recognizing before you reach for another pill. You can massage the occipital points yourself. Real relief often comes only when someone works through the whole chain of tension with you.

Has your head felt heavy for a while now? I invite you to the studio. Together we'll find out where your pain comes from, and choose the treatment that best fits your needs.

Harmony massage Wioletta Soliwoda | ul. Zwycięska 14e/3, 1.floor, Wrocław | +48 796 582 443

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