Migraine Headache Relief – The Neck & Chiropractic Connection
If you suffer from migraine headaches then you are not alone. It estimated that 20% of the United States suffers from migraine headaches. Women suffer from migraines at a substantially greater rate compared to men. There are many different types of headaches but generally two types of migraine headaches, common migraine headaches and classical migraine headaches.
A “common” and “classical” migraine headache often causes the following symptoms:
• Severe Disabling Head Pain (Pounding Headache)
• Dizziness & Lightheadedness
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Neck Pain
• Sensitivity to Light and Sound
Also, a classic migraine headache is usually preceded by an auditory or visual aura and the headache duration is shorter, usually less than 10-12 hours. Unfortunately, the common migraine headache can last for several days.
Migraine headache solutions can be complicated because there are several causes and contributing factors: dietary, stress, hormonal fluctuations, and allergies. However, multiple studies have uncovered that individuals who have experienced neck trauma have a much higher incidence of migraine headaches, cervicogenic headaches, tension headaches, etc. It is very common to see migraine headaches after a car accident or other headaches after whiplash.
Why is that the case? The nerves in the neck connect with each other and other nerves called cranial nerves. The spinal and cranial nerves control the blood vessels that supply the head and neck and the sensation of the face and head. If the vertebra in your neck misalign (shift out of place) it negatively affects the function of the nerves. The result is dysfunctional control of the blood vessels of the head and neck causing a migraine headache. This is also why the debilitating pain in migraines is often pounding and you often times hear that migraine headaches are vascular.
Another point I would like to make regarding the neck connection to migraines and other headaches involves an earlier term I mentioned, cervicogenic headaches, which literally means the cervical spine (neck) causing head pain. The neck connection also makes sense because most migraine sufferers also experience tension headaches and other non-migraine headaches.
As a Doctor of Chiropractic I specialize in migraine headache treatment by evaluating and treating dysfunction in the cervical spine. In most patients, I am able to significantly improve migraine headache management by reducing the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches. If you suffer from a new onset or chronic migraine headaches please contact my migraine headache relief clinic in Roseville, MN near Saint Paul, MN today for a consultation. Call today to feel better faster. We also serve Arden Hills, MN, Falcon Heigths, and Shoreview, MN.