Migraines are a neurological condition that affects over a billion people worldwide, making it the 3rd most prevalent illness across the globe. If you suffer from its attacks, you know the signs that signal an episode is on its way. More than just a bad headache, they can also cause severe head pain, vertigo, nausea, extreme light sensitivity and more.
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Migraines are complicated for many reasons. You might be surprised to learn that there are different types that come along with their own subset of symptoms. Knowing which type you experience can help to point you in the right direction of receiving the proper care. Some of the types below are official types classified by the International Headache Society. The other are simply describe in common language when the migraine occurs or what triggers it.
Migraines that occur without the aura phase are the most common type. An attack can last from 4-72 hours and causes pulsating or throbbing headache pain usually on one side of the head. The pain can range from moderate to severe. Other symptoms include nausea or vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, smells, and sound, fatigue, mood changes, blurry vision, and cognitive changes. This type can occur infrequently (a few times a year) or chronically (a few times a week).
A migraine attack that presents with an aura can feel similar to one without but with the addition of visual disturbances and other neurological symptoms that occur from 10 minutes to an hour before the onset of the headache. An aura can be experienced in several different ways; it has been described as blind spots, temporary loss of vision, wavy lines, flashes of light, or floaters across the visual field. Though less frequent, the aura phase can also include numbness, tingling, or other abnormal sensations on one side of the body, difficulty with speech, confusion, or muscle weakness.
When they occur on 15 or more days in a month for more than 3 months it is considered a chronic condition. Chronic migraines can present with or without aura and can be debilitating.
It is possible to experience a migraine episode without the headache at all. Aura symptoms, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and other pain can all be a part of an episode that happens without the development of the headache phase.
This type most frequently affects children and adolescents, usually teenage girls in conjunction with their menstrual cycle. Symptoms include vertigo, vision changes or temporary loss of vision, tinnitus, slurred speech, and loss of coordination. Throbbing headache pain can be sudden and severe and, unlike other types, it affects both sides at the back of the head and neck.
Although not an officially recognized type, stress is often the number one trigger of episodes. Stress can influence migraines in many ways. A major stressful event such as divorce or death of a loved one can be the cause of someone’s first episode. Stress can also make an attack worse, last longer, or occur more frequently. Migraines that occur in the window of time following the end of a stressful event are ”weekend migraines”.
Fluctuating hormones during a female’s menstrual cycle can be a big trigger for some. For women who suffer from hormonal migraines, they are most likely to hit either right before your period begins or right after it ends. At the start of your period, estrogen and progesterone levels drop, which can trigger an episode around the same time each month.
Drops in barometric pressure, lightning, dry conditions, bright sunlight, storms, and high humidity are all weather events that can trigger attacks for some people.
Medications, whether taken on a regular basis as a preventative measure or when you feel an attack coming on, are typically the go-to treatment option for migraines. Many migraineurs are seeking out natural means to address their condition. As a result, they found and benefited from upper cervical chiropractic care.
Upper cervical chiropractors focus on a very particular region of the spine – the junction where the head and neck meet. The vertebra that sits there, the atlas (C1), plays a vital role in protecting the brainstem. The brainstem is a critical component of the central nervous system. If the atlas becomes misaligned, which can happen as a result of an injury (I.e. sports or motor vehicle accident) or wear and tear (I.e. years of poor posture sitting at a desk), it can hinder normal neurological function and contribute to the onset of attacks.
The goal of upper cervical chiropractic care is to gently and precisely realign the atlas so that normal central nervous system function can be restored. Proper upper cervical spinal alignment is necessary to ensure that brain-body communication is occurring optimally. Regardless of what type of migraines you experience, you can stand to benefit from upper cervical chiropractic care. Many migraineurs report a significant reduction in the severity and/or frequency of their episodes, and some even call their episodes a thing of the past. Use the search function on our website to locate an upper cervical chiropractor in your area. Most will offer a complimentary, obligation-free consultation to learn more about this unique approach.
References:
https://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-facts/
https://migraine.com/migraine-types/
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TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
