Are you one of the millions of people who suffer from allergies, sinus pain, sinus infections, or just general neck and head pain?
Our Mclean clinic massage therapist, Liz Schneider, answered some important questions regarding sinus pain and massage therapy in this video below!
What is a sinus massage?
Sinus massage is a 30-45 minute gentle massage around the neck, head, and sinus areas. There are many goals for sinus massages, but mainly to alleviate some of the pain and inflammation and to help promote drainage of the sinuses. During a sinus massage, the neck is addressed first, followed by the head and sinuses. There typically is some drainage during the massage, but have no fear, there will be plenty of tissues and there will be time to sit up during the massage to let gravity do its job!
Who should get a sinus massage?
Everyone can benefit from this kind of massage. You might actually be surprised in how much pressure it can relieve. Specifically, sinus massage is good for people with allergies, sinus pain, neck pain, headache, dizziness, nausea, and more!
What does the massage feel like?
A sinus massage is very gentle, mainly because the sinuses are more superficial than you might think (meaning they are very close to the surface of the skin). Oftentimes, people with chronic sinus issues tend to dig into their face to try and relieve the pain. It’s kind of like picking at a bad tooth. It feels good, to begin with, but then you have a big infection a couple days later. Rather than rubbing your face with a lot of pressure, you should be very gentle with your sinuses.
Usually, clients tend to feel relief during the massage and hours later, when inflammation may start to subside.
How does the area we live in affect our sinuses?
The Washington D.C. metro area can make a person with allergies and sinus issues absolutely miserable. Because of rapid pressure changes, high humidity, and pollution, this area can be quite tough on the body. A sinus massage can be very helpful in encouraging the drainage of your sinuses, especially when living in an area where it becomes difficult for your sinuses to get relief. Just like anything else that you maintain (brushing your teeth or whatever it may be), it’s very important to address the sinuses regularly.
What other factors, besides allergies, cause sinus pain?
The sternocleidomastoid (the SCM, the rope-like muscle on the front of your neck) is a very important muscle and it’s one of those that rarely hurts on site. It typically refers pain and pressure to various points on the head, specifically the sinuses (around the eye and around the ear). Irritation of the SCM can even cause a pseudo-reaction, in which your eye starts to tear and your nose starts to run. With this in mind, it is important to realize that not all sinus problems have an allergy source. Sometimes, the allergy symptoms could be coming from tight neck muscles, stress, or hormones.
Liz is available Monday through Friday at the Mclean clinic. In addition to sinus massage, Liz performs many other types of massage, so please feel free to reach out to her at 703-448-5799.