Migraines are severe headaches that can impact your ability to function in your daily life. They are often associated with throbbing and pulsing sensations on one side of the head. These headaches also come with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
For sufferers of migraine headaches, the pain can be debilitating. Headaches that last for hours or days prevent people from taking part in their work and family lives. In this article, we’re going to explore migraines in more detail, as well as how chiropractic care can help migraine sufferers.
How Do You Know If You Have a Migraine?
While every patient has a unique experience of a migraine, common symptoms include:
- Neck stiffness
- Seeing shapes, spots, or flashes
- Numbness
- Speech impairment
- Throbbing or pulsing pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sensitivity to sound, light, or smell
- Muscle tension
- Tightness of the jaw
While there are medications that treat migraine symptoms, they often have harsh side effects that patients want to avoid. Simply put, more and more people are opting for a natural alternative to pain management.
Research shows that chiropractic care can address the underlying causes and symptoms of some types of migraine. Below, we’ll learn how Kiama Family Chiropractic can treat your migraine headaches.
How Chiropractic Care Helps Migraine Symptoms
Research is limited. But, studies show that chiropractic care can be as effective as medications in treating migraine symptoms.
This is wonderful news for migraine sufferers! Chiropractic care is non-invasive. It also avoids the use of habit-forming medications.
All in all, chiropractic care takes a multi-faceted approach. Besides spinal adjustments, practitioners use a variety of treatments to ease the pain and underlying causes of a migraine.
Spinal adjustments address joint restrictions and misalignments that cause pain and inflammation. Adjustments increase the function of the nervous system, reduce stress, and improve joint mobility. Together, these elements allow your body to better manage the pain of a migraine (as well as potentially prevent them altogether).
Your chiropractor may also recommend to you a number of neck stretches that you can do at home to help ease the tension at the onset of a migraine. These is especially effective in addressing neck pain and stiffness that often go hand-in-hand with migraine headaches.
Chiropractic care also provides guidance on lifestyle changes that can decrease migraine symptoms. For example, dietary suggestions, such as vitamin supplements and hydration, can address common migraine triggers. Posture and exercise recommendations further add to the holistic approach of chiropractic care.
When To See A Chiropractor For a Migraine
Migraine headaches affect approximately 10% of the world’s population. For many people, the headaches are so severe that they cannot take part in work, family, or personal obligations.
It is time to seek help if you notice that your headaches are more frequent or are accompanied by more serious symptoms. Severe symptoms that show the need for immediate medical help include:
- Vision loss
- Persistent vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Headache lasting more than 72 hours
At Kiama Family Chiropractic, our team can help you address migraine headaches and feel better. Your chiropractor will work with you to identify potential triggers and lifestyle factors that contribute to the onset of a migraine. After an evaluation, your chiropractor will also recommend the best treatments to address your condition, as well as carry out these treatments so that you can lead your best life. Contact our caring and expert team at Kiama Family Chiropractic today to schedule your consultation.