If You Suffer From Chronic Migraines, Chiropractic Care Could Be the Answer

Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from migraines, a headache syndrome with neurological origins. The causes of migraine aren’t fully known, other than there seem to be environmental factors that often play a triggering role. 

Similarly, effective treatment is often difficult to find. There are different types of migraine, and every patient’s experience is unique. While chiropractic care is often a secondary rather than primary treatment, it can help relieve both the frequency and intensity of some migraine sufferers. Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport, located in New York, New York, can add chiropractic adjustments as an effective part of your migraine management plan. 

The principles of chiropractic treatment

Recognizing that the body is its own best healer, chiropractic care seeks to help by removing imbalances and misalignments that keep your body from working at its peak efficiency. It’s true that many people enjoy immediate migraine relief from a chiropractic adjustment. 

With regular care, chiropractic adjustments optimize blood flow and nervous system activity by resetting the neuromuscular system and removing small impediments to normal function. Your circulatory system supplies nutrients for healing throughout your body, so if blood flow gets restricted by musculoskeletal imbalances, then parts of your body may not be working as well as they should. 

Similarly, nerve roots branching from your spinal cord pass through small channels in the complex anatomy of your spine. Any restriction or impingement can affect the signals sent through nerves, even if it doesn’t cause direct pain. 

Migraines and chiropractic

There’s no cure for migraines, and conventional medicine typically treats the symptoms. Lifestyle changes often involve tracing the environmental factors that seem to trigger your episodes. 

Research into migraines suggests that improved blood flow and nervous system operation may help relieve the intensity and frequency. Since these are the goals of chiropractic care regardless of the condition being treated, migraines and chiropractic make an excellent match. 

Medications used to manage pain have side effects that may raise other health issues. Chiropractic adjustments are drug-free, consisting of largely manual manipulations to optimize the alignment of joints throughout your body. Since there’s no drug component to chiropractic care, it’s an excellent addition to your existing migraine management program. 

Cervicogenic headaches

Not all suspected migraines are actually migraines. Many of the symptoms of cervicogenic headache mimic those of migraine, but instead of originating in the brain, this type of headache originates in the cervical spine — the portion at the base of the skull and in your neck. Research suggests that chiropractic adjustments of the cervical spine effectively improve the symptoms of patients with cervicogenic headaches. 

Not every patient or type of migraine may respond to chiropractic treatment. However, it’s a safe and drug-free alternative to conventional migraine therapy. Find out more by booking a consultation with Herald Square Chiropractic and Sport in Midtown, New York. You can reach the office by phone or online to schedule your appointment right now.