Understanding Tension Headaches in Kids — and Why Relaxation Alone Isn’t Always Enough

Oct 30

Written By Same Stars Massage and Wellness

It’s more than just “tight muscles”

When kids or teens complain of sore heads, tight necks, or “heavy” eyes, it’s often chalked up to stress or poor posture. But tension headaches are more than muscle tightness — they’re a sign that the nervous system and body’s soft tissues are under strain.

Tension headaches can cause kids to feel foggy, irritable, and tired — even if they’re trying to rest. That’s because relaxation alone can’t always reach the deeper physical patterns that keep the head, neck, and jaw tense.

Craniosacral therapy works on those deeper patterns — helping to release restrictions, improve circulation, and calm the nervous system so the body can truly let go.

What causes tension headaches in children?

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache in kids and teens. They often stem from a mix of physical and emotional factors:

Poor posture or screen time strain (especially looking down at phones or tablets)
Jaw clenching or teeth grinding during stress or sleep
Emotional tension that settles in the shoulders, neck, and scalp
Vision issues that cause unconscious muscle strain
Dehydration and fatigue that reduce tissue resilience

When those small stressors build up, the muscles at the base of the skull and jaw tighten, limiting the movement of fluid and creating pressure that feels like a band around the head.

How craniosacral therapy helps release tension

Craniosacral therapy uses gentle touch to address restrictions in the fascia — the connective tissue surrounding muscles and nerves. For children with tension headaches, this approach helps:

Ease tension in the neck, jaw, and shoulders
Encourage mobility in the cranial sutures and spine
Reduce pressure around the head and eyes
Calm the nervous system, decreasing reactivity and stress

Because CST supports both structure and function, kids often notice relief not just in their headaches, but also in how they move, focus, and sleep.

Why regulation matters as much as release

Kids who experience frequent tension headaches often have nervous systems that are “stuck” in alert mode. Even when they rest, their bodies may still hold tight. Craniosacral therapy helps the body remember what calm feels like, teaching it to return there more easily over time.

This is especially helpful for children who also experience anxiety, ADHD, or sensory sensitivities — where tension headaches often go hand-in-hand with emotional overwhelm.

What parents can expect

At Same Stars Wellness, treatments are comfortable and collaborative. Kids can rest, fidget, chat, or even nap — there’s no right way to participate. Practitioners use light, sustained contact to help the body release what it’s ready to let go of.

Parents often notice benefits that extend beyond pain relief: improved posture, calmer moods, and fewer after-school meltdowns.