Chiropractic care for migraines focuses on relieving excruciating headaches through spinal manipulation. This technique relieves tension in the vessels and nerves supplying the head, which is the cause of migraines. Therefore, with proper manipulation of the spine, you can improve your migraines.

Migraine Triggers

To help predict your migraine triggers, try to note when migraines appear and what preceded them in the past. Common migraine triggers include the following:

• Extreme stress and emotional changes 
• Biological and environmental effects, such as hormonal fluctuations or exposure to bright lights or strong smells
• Disturbances in sleeping patterns 
• Flickering or glaring lights 
• Changes in the weather 
• Certain foods and drinks

What Happens During a Migraine?

Studies previously suggested migraines could be caused by changes in blood flow going to the brain. Over time, scientists found that the changes in blood flow and the dynamics of the blood vessels were not the only factors behind the pain. However, they did contribute toward it.

More than the influence of the blood vessels, these scientists determined that certain chemical compounds and hormones inside our brain impacted neural pathways that brought about pain. Compounds such as serotonin and estrogen play a crucial role in a person’s sensitivity to pain for those who have migraines.

Migraine pain also stems from the brain, but at a far more fundamental level. The condition occurs when blood vessels in the brain contract and trigger a complex set of chemical reactions in the body. The body attempts to nullify the pain by releasing serotonin, constricting blood vessels. Serotonin is a vasoconstrictor or constrictor of blood vessels, and when it is released, it plays a critical role in regulating blood vessels in the human body.

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help

When a migraine occurs, veins in the skull expand, as discussed above. Surrounding tissues in the brain become inflamed and swollen, causing a painful headache. Some people experience such intense pain due to migraines that they throw up and also experience blurred vision.

The first step to providing effective migraine treatment involves making a proper diagnosis, but chiropractic migraine treatment often works well for most people.

A chiropractor is a health care professional specializing in treating neuromuscular disorders by manipulating the spine. If a misalignment of the bones in the spine irritates the nerves which run to the head, it can cause blood vessels in the brain to constrict, resulting in a migraine headache.

Many people believe that neck and back pain can cause migraine headaches, so chiropractic migraine treatment is popular among health care professionals. They use spinal manipulation to reduce the frequency and duration of migraine attacks.

What You Can Expect from Chiropractic Care for Migraines

Migraine headache specialists incorporate multiple techniques to provide treatment for the source of migraine headaches instead of just alleviating the pain that occurs during a migraine attack. Migraine specialists can use several methods of prevention:

• Ensure proper nervous system communication through proper spinal alignment 
• Reduces irritation of nerves that expose pain receptors to the brain              
• Decreases muscle tension, a common trigger for migraine headaches               
• Restores proper blood flow to the brain                                 
• Enhances the body’s overall healing potential                       
• Strengthens and supports the muscles along the spine so that another attack does not occur
• Identifies triggers to avoid future attacks, such as foods that cause stomach upset

Conclusion

Migraine headaches can cause intense pain and discomfort, making it difficult for sufferers to function normally. However, with the help of a migraine specialist, you can improve your migraines and prevent them from occurring.

Hawkeye Chiropractic is a full service chiropractic center led by Dr. Drew Voelsch, a leading Chiropractor in the local area. We help heal patients and relieve pain by focusing on the source of the pain, rather than simply reducing symptoms. This allows the body to heal itself using its own natural abilities. For ten years, we have helped our community heal from a wide variety of conditions, including migraine headaches. If you’re looking for a chiropractor for migraines, you’ve come to the right place! Call us at (847)472-1224 today.