Migraines and Chiropractic

What are Migraines? Can a Chiropractor Help?

Migraines are a neurological condition that affects up to 15% of the population. They are categorised as a severe headache that usually only occurs on one side of the head along with other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and noise. Migraines can be a seriously debilitating condition, as they can be so severe that they stop you from being able to perform your normal daily activities or work, and can last from hours to days.

Migraine Triggers

There are many different triggers that can cause a migraine to come on. Because of the large number of possible triggers it can be hard to pinpoint what causes migraines for each individual person, making it hard to prevent them from occurring. Possible triggers can include stress, caffeine, hormonal changes, food, alcohol, genetic predisposition, head injury, and muscle tension.

Migraines & Medication

There is no one cure for migraines, and the aim of medical treatment is generally to relieve the symptoms as soon as they start, and to try and prevent future attacks. Classical medical treatments include different types of medication and avoiding the triggers that cause the migraines in the first place. Generally a mix of medication and changing lifestyle factors is used, and effectiveness of treatments differ from person to person.

How Can Chiropractic Help With Migraines?

While classic medical treatments work for some people, there are numerous reasons that people can’t or don’t want to take medicine that may be prescribed to them for their migraines. Some people can’t take the medication, as it clashes with medication they need to take for other preexisting conditions they have. Others may have tried many different medications and found that none of them work for them. There will also be many people looking for a more natural treatment that doesn’t have the same side effects that medications have. Many people will be looking for a natural treatment to help ease the stress and pain caused by migraines.

Chiropractic care assists in the treatment of migraines in many different ways:

1. Chiropractic care reduces stress and tension within the spine, and thus reduces tension in the surrounding muscles. As tight neck and back muscles are a major cause of headaches and migraines, this is a great way of preventing and treating the cause of migraines. Rather than trying to mask the symptoms when they appear.
2. It improves the movement in the joints of the spine and body thereby strengthening the muscles supporting them. This helps to reverse the compensations and allow real healing to occur.
3. It can improve the function of your nerves and nervous system. By re-aligning the spine the nervous system can function at its best and allow the body and the brain to effectively communicate. This decreases irritation of nerves that may be sending pain signals to the brain, improves the healing potential of the body.

Chiropractic has been shown to be at least equally as effective as current medication used for treating migraines, without the same negative side effects. It also focuses more on treating the cause of the migraines, rather than the symptoms. Thus chiropractic is a safe and effective alternative for anyone suffering from migraines.

For treatment and a check up you can visit our Revolution Chiropractic and wellness clinic in Auckland, North Shore. 

 

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