Debilitating headaches, sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises, lightheadedness, nausea, fatigue, irritability….these are all symptoms that migraine suffers commonly experience when a migraine strikes.  It is believed that nearly 10% of the American population suffers from migraine headaches with nearly 75% of those cases being females.  Migraines cost taxpayers nearly $13 billion a year in lost funds and reduced productivity!  Although billions are spent ever year on prescription drugs to reduce the symptoms but most only mask the problem and never successfully result in reducing actually migraine attacks.  If TIA’s (transient ischemic attacks) are referred to as “mini strokes” then migraines by nature should be referred to as “mini TIA’s” since they all mean one common thing:  decreased blood flow to the brain.  To truly free oneself from the torture of migraines one MUST identify the cause and eliminate it!

Migraines can have a number of triggers, including foods like red meats, neurotoxins like MSG and aspartame, fluorescent light bulbs, or simply misalignments in the cervical (neck) spine causing altered blood flow via the vertebral arteries to the brain.  Females tend to experience migraines more often than males due to a number of facts most notably an increased sympathetic response leading to more intense vasodilation (explained later) and a natural decrease in red blood cells, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain during and around the female cycle.  In this article I am going to discuss the common mechanisms, causes, and method of prevention for treating and eliminating the spinal misalignment cause of migraine headaches.

Misalignments to the cervical spine can come from a number of sources such as trauma (whiplash, car wreck, injuries), stress (muscle tensions and forward posture), as well as common poor posture over prolonged periods of time.  Any one of these or a combination of these causes can take the normal curve of the neck and begin to reverse or decrease the amount of curve present (see diagram).  This phenomenon puts a “kinky” or increased tension in the vertebral artery since this artery must follow the curve of the boney structures of the neck, which leads to turbulent and decreased blood flow to the posterior (back) aspects of the brain (sight, sensory interpretation, and equilibrium/balance/ coordination mostly).  Taking these events into account the symptoms present with a “classical” migraine start to make sense.  First we get decreased blood flow to the brain starving the posterior aspects of much needed oxygen and nutrients required to process sensor information, leading to lightheadedness, fatigue, and most noticeably sensitivity to bright lights especially fluorescent ones (brighter objects have more information to process and thus require MORE oxygen and nutrients, fluorescent lights actually pulse or vibrate thus requiring MORE oxygen and nutrients to process that information in the brain as well, we already have less of these available due to decreased blood flow).  Since we do not have the oxygen or nutrients to process bright light information, fuzzy “halos” appear around these light sources and are commonly referred to as the “aura” that precedes a migraine.  Our brain is very smart and will NOT allow itself to be starved to death, so in an effort to save itself from permanent damage, the brain will trigger a “vasodilation” event which simply means the blood vessels with open up larger on the inside allowing more blood flow to ALL parts of the brain.  Most of this vasodilation occurs in the carotid arteries leading to increased blood flow and pressure on the front aspects of the brain creating the pulsing or throbbing feeling that is typically associated with a migraine headache.  The real kicker is what happens next, typically a headache medicine or warm wash cloth acts as a “vasoconstrictor” to decrease blood flow to the brain and thus decrease the throbbing associated with the migraine headache.  Wonderful the headache is gone right?  But what about the decreased blood flow to the back of the brain, that still exists!  Until the cervical curve is corrected the blood flow will never be restored to the brain.

This is where chiropractic comes in.  Chiropractic adjustments and treatments have been proven to restore cervical curve, preventing spinal degeneration and are effective at preventing migraine headaches before they start!  A typical chiropractor will work with your posture at home and work, provide exercises and stretches, make sleeping recommendations, and other lifestyle changes that will also aid in restoring the natural curves of the spine.  If you or anyone you know suffers from intense migraines and other types of headaches, chiropractic is a proven, effective way to completely rid your life of migraine symptoms all together.  As always if you ever have questions, comments, or want advice you can always contact me at my office, Gratton Chiropractic 903.218.5353.  –Dr Chris