patient suffering from a migraine

Chiropractic for Migraines

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Chiropractic Provides Relief from Migraine Pain – Without Opioids

Recent studies have shown that patients suffering from migraine headaches are finding relief without the use of prescription medications through regular chiropractic visits.

These studies show that chiropractic services are the only non-drug treatment plan to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of these debilitating headaches.

What is a Migraine?

A migraine headache begins with a constriction of the blood vessels leading into one half of the brain. This constriction generally does not cause pain, however, in the second stage, the constricted vessels dilate and flood the brain with blood. This flood increases the pressure in the blood vessels, causing excruciating pain.

Who Gets Them?

Women suffer from migraines more often than men.
Women suffer from migraines around 75% more often than men.

Around 28 million people in the US have been diagnosed with migraines. Women tend to get them more often than men (18% of women, versus 6% of men). There is evidence that suggests that there is a genetic component to the condition, as it appears to run in families.

Migraine headaches are responsible for over $50 billion in lost wages and medical expenses every year.

Migraine Symptoms

Common symptoms of migraine headaches can include:

  • Severe, stabbing or throbbing pain, usually located on one particular side of the head lasting anywhere from four to 72 hours.
  • Visual disturbances, including blurry vision, tunnel views, and haloing.
  • Nausea and/or vomiting.
  • Sensitivity to sound, light, touch, and smell.
  • Tingling or numbness in the arms, legs, or face.

How can chiropractic care help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks?

An article published in the European Journal of Neurology reported a 17-month study including 104 migraine patients who suffered at least one attack per month.

The study segmented these patients in three groups:

The study lasted three months with a one-month pre-trial examination period, and follow ups at three, six, and 12 months after.

Findings

All three groups initially saw a reduced number of migraine days from the pre-trial period to the end of the three month treatment study. Participants in the second group continued to experience a reduced number of attacks throughout the follow up period. Additionally, the duration of attacks was significantly reduced in comparison to the medication control group.

April 2019 Headache Study

Another study published in the April 2019 issue of Headache performed a meta-analysis of six small studies which included 677 patients, of whom 75% were female.

These individual studies ranged from two to six months and examined the number of migraine days and level of pain/intensity and disability.

This aggregate study concluded that spinal manipulation may reduce the number of migraine days and the level of pain/intensity. It suggested that further large scale studies should be pursued to reach a definitive conclusion.

Chiropractic Can Help

There is no need for you to suffer the devastating pain and disruption to your life that comes with migraine headaches. This research shows that regular spinal manipulation and adjustments can reduce the frequency of your migraine attacks, as well as the pain level when you do feel an attack coming on.

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References

  1. Migraine Fact Sheet. http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/fact-sheet.html. Accessed July 14, 2019.
  2. Chaibi A, Benth JŠ, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB. Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine: A three-armed, single-blinded, placebo, randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Neurology. 2017;24(1):143-153.
  3. Rist PM, Hernandez A, Bernstein C, et al. The impact of spinal manipulation on migraine pain and disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Headache. 2019 Apr;59(4):532-542.