Chiropractic Care Might Reduce The Frequency And Severity Of Your Migraine Headaches

If you suffer from migraine headaches, consider talking to a chiropractor to see if chiropractic care could help your condition. If pain medications don't work very well and the headaches interfere with your ability to work or have a social life, finding a way to manage your migraines is important. Here's how a chiropractor might help.

Start With A Full Evaluation

Chiropractic care involves treating your entire body. Rather than just focus on your headache pain, the chiropractor will probably evaluate your posture, spine alignment, activities, diet, and medical problems you have to get an overview of your general health and medical issues. The chiropractor might even order tests such as x-rays to visualize your spine. The chiropractor uses all this information to create a treatment plan that is specific to you.

Do Deep Tissue Work

You may need work on both your spine and your muscles when you have chiropractic treatments for your migraines. Deep tissue work might be done by hand or with implements. The goal is to find painful areas along your neck and apply deep pressure to the tissues until the pain releases. This reduces muscle tension and improves blood flow to your head and neck.

Position Your Body

A chiropractor usually has a variety of positioning tables they can use when giving treatments. These tables make it easy to move your body in specific ways to open up the joints in your spine. You might rest on one of these tables on your side or front while taking a treatment for pain relief. The chiropractor might use one of these positioning tables to get your body in the right position for a spinal adjustment.

Give Chiropractic Adjustments

Your chiropractor may give you spinal or cervical adjustments depending on your needs. These can involve quick thrusts or gentle steady pressure to move your spine into proper alignment. These adjustments might provide an immediate reduction in headache pain, but you'll probably need several sessions with your chiropractor for long-term migraine management.

Provide Additional Treatments

Depending on the services provided by the chiropractor you choose, you might be offered additional types of treatments such as massage therapy, stretch treatments, hot and cold therapy, dry needling, or ultrasound treatments. You might also be offered advice on lifestyle and dietary changes that could improve your overall health and reduce your headaches.

Chiropractic care for migraines may bring about a gradual improvement in your headaches. The treatments may not eliminate your headaches completely, but reducing the number you have each month or lessening the severity of your pain could make a big difference in how you feel.