Migraines
Migraines are very different to headaches and affect a large proportion of our society. They can be debilitating and accompanied by other symptoms such as visual disturbances, dizziness and tingling . So what causes them and what can we do to treat them?
What Causes Migraines?
Migraines are caused by what is called a ‘cortical spreading depression’. This is where unstable neurons in the brain fires very easily. As one is fired it causes a dominos effect travelling across parts of the brain. Often this starts in the occipital lobe of the brain (back of the head) where your vision centres are which is why migraines will often cause visual disturbances before any other symptom. Although the symptoms and their order in which they come on will be different for every individual. On top of this, the blood vessels within the brain become dilated causing irritation to the surrounding nerves (trigeminal nerve to be precise) which is believed to be the main headache producer.
In this video I go through the top 3 supplements for getting relief from migraines.
*Please note I am no longer in Reading or doing mobile work. I’m currently based in Didcot.
How Can A Chiropractor Help With Migraines?
There are many things that cause and provoke migraines which can make them harder to treat. Like headaches, the neck as a large contribution which is why Chiropractors will often have good results with treating them. We are also fully aware how easily migraines can be made worse or triggered by the smallest thing. This is why a thorough assessment is done to reduced this risk as much as possible and ensure the best results.
Due to the functional changes in the neurology that occurs with migraines, the use of functional neurology in combination with Chiropractic, in my opinion, is one of the most effective ways of treating migraines.
Functional Neurology is the functional testing of the brain and associated regions to assess for their integrity. Often people with migraines will have a lack of function in certain areas of their brain that can be contributing to the problem. This isn’t to say they have pathology but weakness, in the same way that you may have a muscle that works but is weaker that it should be, causing compensations and thus pain.
If you are suffering with regular migraines, please do get in touch, we would love to help.
See what people have said about their success with Dr Hulme who have had similar problems.