Brooklyn Massage Therapy
Massage for Tension Headaches in Brooklyn
Most tension headaches start in the neck, shoulders, and upper back — not in the head. Therapeutic massage that works at the source.
Book a SessionIf you get tension headaches regularly, the pain in your head is usually the last stop — not the starting point.
Tension headaches typically originate from tight, overworked muscles in the neck, upper back, and base of the skull. The suboccipital muscles at the back of the head are a major culprit — when they're chronically compressed, they restrict blood flow and refer pain forward into the temples, forehead, and behind the eyes. The upper traps and scalenes play a role too, creating a chain of tension that works its way up.
Massage therapy addresses tension headaches by working directly on those underlying structures — not just managing the symptom, but reducing the muscular tension that's generating it. For people who get frequent headaches, regular massage can meaningfully reduce both their intensity and how often they occur.
What's Behind It
Common Causes of Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are almost always muscular in origin. Understanding what's driving the tension is key to actually reducing how often they happen.
The Work
How Massage Therapy Helps
Tension headache work focuses on the structures generating the pain — the suboccipitals, upper traps, scalenes, and surrounding cervical muscles — rather than just treating the head itself.
For chronic headache sufferers, the goal isn't just relief after the fact. It's reducing the baseline level of muscular tension so headaches become less frequent and less severe over time.
- Releasing the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull — the most direct driver of tension headache pain
- Decompressing the upper cervical spine through sustained work on the neck extensors and deep cervical muscles
- Releasing upper trap and levator scapulae tension that pulls on the neck and contributes to the headache cycle
- Working the scalenes to reduce compression along the side of the neck and improve circulation to the head
- Addressing jaw and temporalis tension for clients whose headaches have a clenching or TMJ component
- Calming the nervous system overall — reducing the stress-driven bracing pattern that keeps the whole cycle going
The Approach
What to Expect in a Session
We'll start by talking through your headache pattern — where you feel them, how often, what tends to trigger them, and what your neck and shoulder tension is like day to day. That context shapes the whole session.
Headache work tends to be slower and more precise than a general massage. The suboccipitals and upper cervical area in particular respond better to sustained, patient pressure than to heavy-handed technique.
Suboccipital Release
Slow, sustained work at the base of the skull to decompress the suboccipital muscles and restore circulation — often the most immediately impactful part of a headache session.
Deep Tissue
Specific pressure into the upper traps, levator scapulae, and cervical extensors to release the chronic tension feeding the headache cycle.
Trigger Point Therapy
Deactivating referral patterns in the scalenes, upper traps, and temporalis that contribute to headache pain and facial tension.
Cranial & Jaw Work
For headaches with a jaw clenching or TMJ component — gentle work on the temporalis, masseter, and surrounding structures to reduce that layer of tension.
Who It's For
This Work Is a Good Fit If You…
If your headaches have a muscular or postural component — and most tension headaches do — massage therapy can help reduce both their frequency and intensity. Not sure if that's you? Reach out before booking and we can talk it through.
Ready to Break the Headache Cycle?
PT Massage Therapy is a solo practice in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn — therapeutic work focused on the muscular patterns driving your tension headaches.
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