When using acupuncture for headache and migraine cases, there are certain myofascial trigger points that seem to come up again and again. These muscles should be checked for “ashi” reactive points and treated appropriately to help restore healthier circulation and tissue ecology.
Assessment is done through palpation. When an active trigger point is located it will be tender to press and may refer pain to another region. If the pain produced is the same as the headache pain, then that trigger point will play a key role in the headache or migraine treatment.
There are more muscles that can be involved with headaches and migraines, and it is always important to also look at postural influences as well as stress and overall health factors. However, these are 4 of the main headache and migraine trigger points that should be checked for:
1. Trapezius Trigger Point Referral Patterns
Temporal headache
Headache in back of head
Neck & shoulder pain
TMJ or jaw pain
Facial nerve pain
Pain behind the ear
Pain in lower molars
Dizziness or vertigo
Emotional stress
2. Suboccipital Trigger Point Referral Patterns
Headaches behind the eye
Temporal headaches
Pain in the back of the head
Pain around the eye
Pain around the temple
3. Semispinalis Capitis Trigger Point Referral Patterns
Frontal headache
Temporal headache
Pain in a band around head
Pain in the back of the head
4. Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) Trigger Point Referral Patterns
Frontal headache
Temporal headache
Vertex headache (top of head)
Headache around or behind eye
Pain in the back of the head
TMJ jaw pain
Visual disturbances, light sensitivity
Cheek pain (like sinusitis)
Dizziness
Sore throat, dry cough
Runny nose, post nasal drip
Earaches, tinnitus, itchy ear
Tearing, red eyes, drooping eyelid
There are a variety of ways to work with trigger points. Distal acupuncture can be used to target the muscle from a distant area in the body, for example using points around the ankle to treat the neck. Local acupuncture techniques such as dry needling, trigger point acupuncture or ashi acupuncture all work by needling the muscle directly and eliciting a twitch response from the muscle. Motor point acupuncture employs a gentle electrical stimulation of the motor nerves to facilitate a release of the muscle.
Which treatment you receive will depend on your case and what your practitioner feels is the best option for you at a given time. The long term goal is to use acupuncture to help your body heal to the point where you don’t need the acupuncture anymore or you keep it as a maintenance.
If any of these headaches or referral patterns sound like you and you would like to try trigger point acupuncture in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, consider Acupuncture Grove in Bondi Sydney. Servicing areas such as Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Coogee, Clovelly, Bronte, Waverly, Randwick, Maroubra, Double Bay, Watson's Bay, Vaucluse and surrounding Sydney suburbs. You can book online here or reach out with any questions here.
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