Julie S. came in our office suffering with chronic migraines. She was medicating her way through the monthly battles with debilitating pain. Then she would miss a few days of work while the meds would treat the pain, but would also knock her out. She would sleep up 24 hours straight while they worked out of her system. Sound familiar? This doesn’t have to be you.

Migraines affect more than 38 million people in the United States. And having a migraine can place a toll on enjoying everyday life, causing people to miss out on work or other events

According to Migraine.com:

·      91% can’t function normally or miss work during migraines

·      59% missed family or social events

·      49% said they had to restrict activities for at least one day

 What is a Migraine?

Migraines are more than just a headache. Migraine sufferers report a debilitating throbbing pain that is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and sensitivity to light and sound. 

Causes of migraines include family history, hormonal changes, emotional stress, alcohol, caffeine, changes in sleep pattern, changes in weather, or physical strain. 

Unfortunately, migraines are poorly understood and often go undiagnosed or undertreated. Without getting the necessary help to understand migraine headaches and its variety of potential causes, people who suffer from migraines might not be getting the right treatments to help ease the pain and prevent further headaches. 

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

At Foster Chiropractic, we are dedicated to helping migraine sufferers understand their headaches and employ lifestyle changes that will help them feel better overall, and hopefully reduce the negative impact of migraines in their everyday life. One of the important first steps is talking with patients to understand their family history, migraine triggers and other lifestyle habits. Often we can suggest dietary changes and nutritional advice that can help with migraines. It’s also helpful to get a thorough family history, to understand each patient’s case more thoroughly.

Spinal manipulation and chiropractic adjustments can also help relieve migraine symptoms by improving spinal function and alleviating stress on your system. Studieshave shown that patients who received chiropractic care for migraines once or twice a week for eight weeks saw a reduction in migraine symptoms. The outcomes that were improved were migraine frequency, intensity and duration, leading to improved quality of life.

Massage is another therapy often used in treating migraines. It helps relieve stress and alleviates tightness of the muscles in the head, neck and shoulders, improving the blood flow to those areas and lessening the impact of the headache. 

Finally, as a chiropractor we are especially in tune with posture. We can help provide advice on improving your posture and suggest exercises and relaxation techniques that can help you prevent the onset of migraines in between chiropractic appointments.

If you’re suffering from migraines and frustrated with having to miss out on work, daily activities or special occasions, it’s time to find some help. Call us today to get on the road to a life uninterrupted by migraine pain.