Chiropractic Care and Migraines: Here’s What You Should Know

If you’ve never had a migraine before, you may view this issue as nothing more than a bad headache. On the contrary, migraines are serious neurological issues that can cause immense pain and dysfunction for patients. 

Many patients will seek relief from their migraine symptoms in the form of medications and different therapies. For some individuals, these treatments may help them manage their condition. However, others are plagued by side effects and continued pain from their migraines, even when they are on an intense medicinal regimen.

Luckily, chiropractic care offers a unique and effective treatment option for migraine sufferers. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the issue of migraines and discuss how chiropractic care can help patients with migraines get their lives back. 

What Is a Migraine?

A migraine is a neurological issue that causes a number of different symptoms in patients. Interestingly, migraines are not always associated with headaches. While headaches are a common symptom of this condition, patients can also experience sensory changes, known as auras. 

Auras can present as a visual, auditory, or a different sensory issue that accompanies other symptoms of migraines.

Who Can Experience a Migraine?

Unfortunately, anyone, of any age, can experience migraines.

On average, women seem to suffer from migraines more than men. It’s estimated that roughly 1 in 5 women and 1 out of 16 men will experience migraines in their lifetime. The vast majority of migraine headaches will be chronic and they will affect the person throughout their lifetime. That being said, some people may only experience migraines in childhood, and the symptoms may resolve when they come of age. Others may develop migraines later in life, successfully avoiding them throughout their early lives.

How Debilitating are Migraines?

For the uninitiated, it may be hard to judge just how debilitating migraines can be. 

Pain, in general, is a subjective experience. For this reason, it can be hard to quantify the pain typically seen during a migraine attack.

However, we can look at the effects the issue has on a person’s daily life to get a general picture of how bad this condition truly is.

Many people will find it difficult, if not impossible, to complete their daily tasks during a migraine attack. Often, workers will have to take the day off when they are experiencing a migraine. 

Worse yet, the symptoms may last for a day or longer, causing unbearable discomfort for the patient in question. Once the actual attack has ended, the patient may also suffer a post-drome, which is akin to “aftershock”. Post-drome after a headache can cause dizziness and confusion for a day or longer after the worst of the symptoms have resolved.

As you can see, migraines are no small issue. They can cause incredible levels of pain and discomfort for hours or days on end.

Treatment for Migraines

As was mentioned earlier, there are a number of medicinal treatment options to dull the pain and decrease the symptoms of migraines. However, many medications can cause serious side effects which are as bad as, if not worse than, the actual condition itself. For this reason, patients with migraines will often search for effective treatment options that can address their symptoms without side effects.

One such option is chiropractic care. 

Chiropractic Care and Migraines

Chiropractors utilize a number of different treatments when working with patients. However, one of their main treatments is the spinal manipulation. By applying pressure to specific parts of the spine, chiropractors can help patients restore lost range of motion, increase mobility, and decrease pain in various regions of the body.

Many migraine sufferers find almost instantaneous relief after receiving chiropractic manipulations. Are you interested in finding out if chiropractic care is the right option for your migraine issues? If so, book your appointment now with the team at Keystone Chiropractic, your local Plano chiropractor!