When a massage can ease a migraine—and which type is best.

Key Points

1. Studies on massage therapy for migraines generally contain small participant groups and methodology flaws. Still, they suggest that massage can improve circulation, reduce stress and improve mobility. These can ease migraine attack frequency and severity.
2. Not all forms of massage are equally effective—and finding a therapist trained in the method you seek can best help you find relief.
3. If you have an HSA or FSA, Dr. B may be able to help you get a Letter of Medical Necessity online. Then, you can save on massage therapy fees for migraine treatment.

Anyone who’s had a migraine attack knows they’re more than a typical tension headache.

A neurological disorder, migraine causes moderate to severe throbbing pain on one side of the head. An attack can also cause sensitivity to light, noise and smell, aura, vomiting, neck stiffness and pain, nausea, changes to vision, fatigue, and other debilitating symptoms.

Avoiding a migraine attack can feel impossible when various foods, smells, increased stress, poor sleep and temperature shifts can trigger one. Still, because there’s no cure for migraine disorder, you can only do your best to prevent attacks—or lessen the blow when they hit.

A medical massage can decrease stress and pain while improving blood flow and mobility. So many people with migraine find they help reduce attack frequency and severity. But do studies recommend massage therapy as a treatment?

Here’s what the (mixed) science says. Plus, how Dr. B is here to help patients seeking both sides of the treatment coin.

What causes migraine pain?

Scientists aren’t sure. Once, they believed that muscles constricted around blood vessels, which caused pain in the head. Now, they think a more complicated mix of hormones and inflammation is at play.

From what they’ve figured out, a trigger (things on the list above) releases pro-inflammatory mediators. These spread inflammatory signals to nerve fibers around the brainstem and spinal cord. The spinal cord compresses, and the trigeminal nerve at the base of the skull inflames. This nerve is attached to sensors around the head and face, which is why extreme pain and sensitivity follow.

Do studies show massage can treat headaches and migraines?

Before we delve into the details, it’s crucial to understand why studies on massage for headaches and migraine are difficult to quantify. Diverse techniques and practitioner skills make conducting these studies challenging, and participants must commit significant time. As a result, the studies often have small participant groups and contain methodology flaws—especially when compared to those on migraine medications.

Problems aside, their results suggest that different types of massage may help lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve mobility, relieve pain and increase sleep quality. Because these factors affect migraines, many patients find that massage alleviates their migraine symptoms and reduces the frequency of attacks.

One review found that massage therapy managed symptoms as effectively as propanolol and topiramate (common medications). However, the review found the same effect for relaxation, chiropractic spinal manipulation and physiotherapy. This suggests general relaxation techniques might help reduce overall stress. Since stress can trigger migraine attacks, reducing stress may reduce their frequency.

The stress-reduction theory might also explain why another study found that 8 weeks of myofascial trigger point massage and detuned ultrasound equally reduced tension headaches for participants. (Detuned ultrasound is a placebo application where an ultrasound wand sounds like it delivers treatment but does not actually transmit laser therapy.)

Still, a more in-depth two-year study of reflexology and massage found that both methods reduced migraine pain compared to participants who received neither therapy.

So while not a cure for the disorder, some forms of massage therapy may help ease the triggers that cause symptoms and severity of migraines. For some patients, this can make them another comforting tool to add to your treatment care box.

What massage techniques are best for migraines?

Discuss any form of massage therapy with your primary care doctor before seeking one of the below. You may have a specific condition that makes getting a massage unsafe. Or they may have other suggestions for alternative treatments that can help you ease the pain of migraine attacks.

But to help you get familiar with therapeutic massage techniques, here are a few that might provide relief.

SWEDISH MASSAGE: Long, smooth strokes and kneading movements help relax muscle tension and improve circulation. This can help lower blood pressure, reduce neck pain and improve sleep, which can reduce migraine attacks. Adding a scalp massage can further ease tension and provide pain relief (if you’re not sensitive to touch there).

TRIGGER POINT THERAPY: Pressing on points around the hands, face, ears, neck and feet can relieve the pressure on nerves and relax muscles. This can distract pain sensors, improve mobility and reduce stress.

DEEP TISSUE: The firm pressure and slow, deep strokes of deep tissue massage encourage movement deep in muscle tissue and fascia layers. This can promote blood flow/circulation, improve mobility (especially in the neck and shoulders) and relieve pain from fibromyalgia, injury or other illnesses.

LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE: Lymph fluid transports blood cells and helps us drain waste. When it gets backed up, we feel puffy and inflamed. A small 8-week study found that lymphatic drainage not only reduced the frequency of migraines compared to those who did not have massage, but it also helped patients reduce their use of pain medication.

REFLEXOLOGY: Reflexology involves pressing on the feet, hands, and ears to treat other body parts. As noted above, one small study found that twice-weekly reflexology sessions helped reduce migraine pain. In particular, it revealed that two 30-minute foot reflexology sessions per week were more effective than three 20-minute massage sessions that focused on the back, neck and head.

Tips for finding a migraine massage therapist

Again, check in with your doctor before starting any form of migraine treatment.

When you’re ready to find a therapist, these tips can steer you toward one with the skills to provide optimal relief.

1. Ask for referrals: Ask your healthcare provider if they work with any medical massage therapy practices or have recommendations for nearby practitioners.
2. Search and review: Search the American Massage Therapist Association, ask members of migraine groups, or do an online search (adding “migraine” and your city) for nearby therapists. Look at patient reviews or therapists' social media pages to get a feel for the experience.
3. Scope credentials: Make sure they have the education, accreditation and certification required in your state.
4. Cover costs: Check to see if your insurance covers massage therapy sessions and if the therapist is in-network. If not, ask if they offer packages or payment plans, etc.
5. Have a chat: Ask prospective therapists if they’ve taken any continuing courses for migraine or if they have experience working with clients with migraine.
6. Vocalize your needs: Relay if specific scents or sounds trigger your migraines, whether you want to try or avoid a particular technique, and how you want to communicate your sensations during the session.

How to save on massage therapy for migraines

If you’ve been diagnosed with migraines and you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Dr. B may be able to help you save up to 40% off massage therapy sessions!

HSAs and FSAs let you reserve pre-tax funds to pay for medical expenses. Massage fees don’t automatically qualify under FSA or HSA withdrawal rules. Instead, a provider must write a Letter of Medical Necessity detailing how massage helps treat your migraines. Then, you can file your letter and massage receipts to get the fee reimbursed from your tax-free funds!

Dr. B makes this process as gentle as possible by helping qualifying patients get a Letter of Medical Necessity online with a $15 medical consultation.

Learn more about using your HSA/FSA for massage therapy from Dr. B.

Or start your consultation today!

And if you need prescription migraine treatment online?

Again, there is no cure for migraine disorder. And the most solid studies on massage for migraines only suggest that they may help reduce the frequency or severity of attacks by easing things that trigger them.

For science-backed prescription relief, Dr. B offers $15 migraine consultations to patients in all 50 US states—365 days a year, holidays included.

A licensed provider can help you find the proper migraine treatment for you—because you deserve relief!

Sources:

Chaibi, A., et al. (2011). Manual therapies for migraine: a systematic review. Journal of Headache Pain.

Happe, S., et al. (2016). The efficacy of lymphatic drainage and traditional massage in the prophylaxis of migraine: a randomized, controlled parallel group study. Neurological Science.

Kobza, W., et al. (2017). Effects of feet reflexology versus segmental massage in reducing pain and its intensity, frequency and duration of the attacks in females with migraine: A pilot study. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Mayo Clinic. (2023). Migraine.

Moraska, A.F., et al. (2015). Myofascial trigger point-focused head and neck massage for recurrent tension-type headache: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The Clinical Journal of Pain.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Migraine.

Pescador Ruschel, MA, et al. (2024). Migraine headache. StatPearls Publishing.

Quinn, C., et al. (2002). Massage therapy and frequency of chronic tension headaches. American Journal of Public Health.