At their mildest, migraine headaches are throbbing annoyances. Serious migraines can cause extreme, debilitating pain that affects a person’s quality of life. The question of whether chiropractic care can treat migraines is a popular one, and Active Life Chiropractic offers some insight.
What is a migraine?
Migraines typically affect just one side of the head, and are oft accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and acute sensitivity to sound and light. Some migraines last for hours while others remain for days. One common warning sign is a condition called “aura”, during which the sufferer may experience blind spots, flashes of light, and tingling on side of the body – typically in the face, arm, or leg. Other warning signs include food cravings, mood changes, constipation, and neck stiffness.
How can chiropractic care help?
There’s probably not a migraine sufferer in the world who hasn’t sought out ways to minimize or eliminate their headaches. Medication, special diets, trigger avoidance, and changes in sleep pattern/position are all popular options pursued by the afflicted. However, the one commonality shared by these approaches is their lack of a “physical element”: that which is provided by massage, yoga, and chiropractic care.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Most people are aware that a big part of chiropractic care is body manipulation. However, not everyone knows that adjustments made to the body’s bones, joints, and tissues can improve the function of blood vessels. But the word is getting out: a recent study shows that headaches are now the third-most popular reason why American adults seek chiropractic care.
Moreover, no less an authority than the Migraine Treatment Centers of America has stated that, “The results of chiropractic care on migraine headaches have been studied in several clinical trials, with favorable results. Evidence suggests that spinal manipulation improves (the reduction of) migraine headaches.” During these trials, migraine sufferers reported an across-the-board decrease in the intensity, frequency, and duration of their headaches. These test subjects also confirmed that chiropractic care improved their overall quality of life.
Our Approach
If you suffer from migraines, our chiropractic clinic in Charlotte will enact one or more of the following treatment approaches:
- Spinal manipulation, various chiropractic adjustments, and therapeutic massage meant to realign your musculoskeletal system, alleviate the stress on your body, and improve spinal function
- Exercises related to posture and ergonomics, as well as relaxation techniques. The overall goal of these exercises is to minimize/eliminate tension in the spine and neck.
- Advice pertaining to nutrition and diet, as well as the suggestion of certain supplements such as B-12, a vitamin known to provide migraine relief for some sufferers
Before we begin treatment, we’ll discuss your medical history, with a specific focus on your experience with migraines: when they started, whether they’re accompanied by aura, duration, and recurring triggers. With this information in-hand, we’ll thoroughly evaluate your musculoskeletal system, with special attention paid to your muscle, joint, and spinal health – particularly as it pertains to your neck’s muscles and joints. If we discover areas where range of motion is restricted, we’ll note these as potential treatment targets.
If you suffer from migraines and are seeking headache relief from a chiropractor in Charlotte, NC, contact Active Life Chiropractic today and learn more about our office.