Relief at Last

Before getting a driver's license or graduating from high school, Erin Knight had already shouldered an adult burden: chronic headaches. "I started having problems with headaches in high school," says Knight, 26, who lives in the Seattle area. "I think all the studying and computer time may have been a trigger for chronically tight muscles."

For more than 10 years, Knight battled migraines and tension headaches up to two or three days a week. "I blamed the weather, hormones, my diet or allergies. I never thought I would be able to live headache-free," she says.

Her doctor recommended a restrictive diet, but following its challenging list of foods to avoid didn't bring Knight relief.

Pain medicine wasn't a perfect solution either, since one side effect was stomach problems. She was able to effectively stop migraines by taking prescription medication. "But I worried about its long-term effects," she says.

Knight wanted to do better than treat a headache once it showed up. She wanted freedom from the disruption of chronic headaches. "It was just one more thing to worry about on a big day," Knight says. "It seemed like whenever I had a big test or a job interview, I would get a headache."

A breakthrough came in fall 2009 when Knight joined Massage Envy in Beachwood, Ohio, where she was living at the time. "through deep tissue and trigger point massage, my massage therapist, Carrie, worked miracles," she says. "Not only do I go months without a headache, but I sleep better and have better posture. Working through chronic tension has helped me learn body awareness so I can correct small imbalances before they turn into bigger problems."

After years of chronic pain, regular massage has changed Knight's life. "I consider it as important as exercising and eating well," she says. "I encourage friends to think of massage as a tool for health management, not a luxurious experience."