Is Heat Therapy Effective for Migraine Relief?

Do you think you’ve already exhausted every potential source of migraine relief? Have you grown tired of trying migraine remedies that fail to provide enough repose? Well, don’t give up hope just yet! Read about heat therapy and how you can use it in conjunction with upper cervical chiropractic care. In this article, we’ll talk about these two approaches to migraine relief and how they can work together.

How Does Heat Therapy Work?

Heat therapy might not be the first thing you seek when dealing with headaches. After all, sometimes, excessive heat can aggravate migraine episodes.However, you might find it noteworthy that heat can relieve migraine pain by increasing circulation and relaxing tense muscles. The increased blood flow helps relax the nerves that cause inflammation and pain, while the relaxation of tense muscles can also ease head tension.Several types of heat therapy options are available for migraine sufferers, including sauna sessions, hot baths or showers, hot towels/washcloths applied directly to the head and neck area, and heating pads or wraps placed around your neck or forehead (avoid placing them on top of your eyes). 

Who Shouldn’t Use Heat Therapy for Migraine?

As we’ve discussed above, heat therapy can indeed help with migraines. However, it is not for everyone. Heat is a great way to deal with pain and inflammation, but some people aren't ready for it. Hence, it’s a good idea to review our quick list of questions below to know if heat therapy might not be an excellent option to explore: 

• Do you have a severe medical condition, such as heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease? If yes, you should consult your doctor before using heat therapy.
• Do you have any type of skin irritation or rash? It is best to avoid heat therapy until you treat your condition.  
• Are you on blood thinners, or do you have an open wound? The increased blood flow can cause more bleeding and damage to open wounds, leading to severe complications if you don’t treat it right away!
• Are you currently expecting? It is best to avoid heat therapy because the body works twice as hard to cool down. Using excessive heat might lead to dizziness and fainting. 
• Do you currently have a fever or infection that appears to worsen after starting heat therapy? It is best to stop the treatment and consult your physician. 

Heat therapy is generally safe as long as you don't exceed recommended times and temperatures, and check with your doctor if you're unsure about using it for your specific situation. Alternatively, you can try tapping into other options for migraine relief like upper cervical chiropractic.

Upper Cervical Care for Migraine Relief

While heat therapy can be helpful in the short term, it's best when combined with other remedies and lifestyle changes to reduce or prevent migraines altogether. For that, the most recommended form of complementary migraine relief is upper cervical chiropractic care.

Many people swear by this migraine remedy because of its strong focus on addressing the root cause of your pain. Unknown to many, migraines can develop from cervical spine misalignments - a common effect of suffering from physical abuse, falls, trips, and sudden blows to the head or neck. The force from traumatic events can tear the tissues connecting the neck bones to your head, causing you to develop cervical spine misalignments. Note that no matter how long ago your injuries occurred, they can still haunt your present. But, thankfully, you can take full advantage of a gentle form of care - upper cervical chiropractic.  It focuses on the relationship between your skull and the topmost bones of your spinal column (atlas and axis). It's based on the idea that misalignments in this area can cause nerve interferences, resulting in headaches and other symptoms.

Additionally, this technique primarily helps deal with the “undetected” effects of previous injuries to the head and neck. Hence, if you find that nothing seems to work for you or if you think your previous traumatic injuries have been causing you pain, we suggest consulting with an upper cervical doctor ASAP.

Get started with your holistic healing journey. Find a chiropractor near you through the Upper Cervical Awareness Find-a-Doctor page!

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