We frequently see and treat patients with migraines. It is estimated that 15% of the American population suffers from migraine headaches. Females are three times more likely to suffer from migraine headaches than men. Migraines are the most common form of headache our patients report. Migraines can be so severe that they are debilitating.
Migraines commonly present as an intense, throbbing pain which is generally on a single side of the head, but sometimes can be bilateral. Side effects often include soreness behind one or both eyes. They can also cause numbness, tingling, and sensitivity to light or sound. Around a quarter of those who suffer from migraines experience auras, or visual disturbances. These symptoms can severely disrupt one’s quality of life. Migraine attacks commonly last 4 to 72 hours.
It is important to identify the true underlying cause of your migraines. Migraines caused by a structural issue, like a disc injury or spinal subluxation, require a structural solution. No amount of painkillers, muscle relaxers, or needle injections can correct a structural issue. They will only briefly cover up the symptoms caused by the structural issue. Restoring proper spinal biomechanics is essential to correcting the structural cause of migraines.
$49 New Patient Special
First visit includes a consultation, case review, careful exam, X-rays (if necessary) and initial adjustment. Second visit includes a doctor’s report of findings, care plan recommendations, and treatment if you decide to move forward. Not valid with any other offers or promotions. Restrictions apply. Must mention this coupon at the time of scheduling.
How Our Care Protocol Works
First, we perform a thorough chiropractic exam and x-rays to determine exactly where the lack of proper movement is in your spine and which specific vertebrae need to be addressed.
Second, we restore proper motion to your spine and take stress off of the nerve by performing biomechanically and neurologically correct chiropractic adjustments.
Third, we teach you specific exercises to strengthen and stabilize your spine. These exercises are carefully designed to get you great results and NOT aggravate your condition.
Fourth, as clinically indicated, we perform non-surgical spinal decompression to take pressure off of the disc and off of the nerve giving you relief like you haven’t felt in years!
How We Treat Migraines In Centennial, CO
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
At Lovett Family Chiropractic, we start with a thorough consultation, which enables us to get to know you and what might be causing your migraines. It’s essentially a fact-finding mission. We find out how long it has been going on, what makes it better, what makes it worse, what you have tried that didn’t work, what it feels like, and if it radiates up your head, down your neck, or into your upper back and arms, etc.
Most importantly, we discuss what would change or improve if we could eliminate your pain. Learning about your symptoms and goals is very important because it puts everything into perspective. Most people can deal with or ignore a high amount of pain. They might even take pills to mask the pain. What they can’t deal with is how it affects their lifestyle. They want to be doing the things they enjoy with the people that they care about. They never want to feel limited, and we do everything that we can to help them live a life without limits.
Digital X-rays
Our next step is to take digital spinal X-rays. These are high-frequency X-rays that use very little radiation. We can analyze your X-rays during your initial visit to determine how the alignment of your spine might be causing your symptoms. These X-rays also show us the condition of your spine. They show us how much decay and degeneration has taken place over your lifetime. Understanding decay and degeneration is helpful because it informs us about the extent of damage in your spine and how long it will likely take to see improvements.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Centennial, Colorado
There are several modalities that we use at Lovett Family Chiropractic to treat your migraine headaches. First, there are specific chiropractic adjustments. During the course of your consultation, exam, and X-rays, we are working to identify the problem vertebrae. We recognize the vertebrae which are stuck and not moving as well as they should. These are called subluxations. The only way to correct subluxations is with specific chiropractic adjustments.
The adjustments are relatively gentle and may involve Dr. Lovett using his hands to make the adjustments, or he may use an instrument called the Impulse. These adjustments help the spine move more easily, allowing the nervous system to function optimally. When your nervous system functions properly, your migraines will decrease in frequency and intensity. You will feel better and be able to function better.
The adjustments that we perform in our office are precise. Many other providers will do everything they can to just get a “pop” out of your neck. That pop feels good because it releases endorphins. However, if it is not performed biomechanically and neurologically correctly, it can cause further damage to the spine.
Rather than causing damage to the discs by applying excessive force in the incorrect direction, which can be likened to wringing out a wet towel, our adjustments are precise and target the exact vertebra that is subluxated. This is more akin to folding a shirt with clean fold lines.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression
In certain situations, we recommend Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression (NSSD). NSSD is an excellent modality and can provide tremendous relief in a variety of conditions related to migraine headaches, including bulging discs, herniated discs, torticollis, numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms, neuritis, neuropathy, radiculitis, radiculopathy, thyroid issues, muscle spasms, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and the list goes on.
NSSD can be performed on the cervical spine to provide incredible relief from migraine headaches. We set you up by having you lie on a specialized table that has an attachment for your neck. We adjust the table so that the machine is pulling your neck at the correct angle. You lie on your back while the mechanism is tightened around the side and back of your neck. We set the parameters of the protocol that will work best for your situation. We start the machine and it gently pulls on your neck while your body weight holds you in place on the table. This creates a decompression effect in the neck.
NSSD works by creating a negative pressure in the disc. By pulling on the neck at a specific angle, we can target the particular disc that is causing your symptoms. We think of NSSD like an accordion. When you pull an accordion apart, it creates a negative pressure, which causes air to flow into the accordion. We are doing the same thing, but instead of air, we are providing hydration, nutrition, and oxygen to the disc, allowing it to heal.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Lastly, everyone’s care plan includes specific exercises to help strengthen and stabilize the spine. These are not the most challenging exercises in the world, but they are essential in helping to provide strength and stability to the spine. The exercises we provide to our patients are designed not to aggravate their symptoms, but rather to strengthen and stabilize the spine in a way that allows it to handle future adverse stresses.
Common Causes of Migraines in Centennial, CO
Stress
Emotional and mental strain often triggers migraines. The pressures of daily existence can be overwhelming. But if you get migraines, you have the extra stress of wondering when your next episode will hit. This repeating pattern is psychologically, physically, and emotionally draining. In the long run, this mental anguish might weaken your immune system and increase your susceptibility to illness. In light of this, you must take steps to recognize and control the sources of stress in your life. Meditation, physical activity, enough rest, and chiropractic care are just a few of the usual methods to deal with stress.
Irregular Sleep Schedule
We often ignore the quantity and quality of our sleep, which are crucial to our health. During deep sleep, the body, including the brain, repairs and renews tissues. A lack of regular sleep often brings on migraines. In fact, between 4 and 9 a.m. is the most common time for them to strike. Those who already have trouble sleeping are considerably more likely to suffer from migraines because of this.
Hormones
A migraine headache strikes a woman three times as often as a man. Hormones and how they vary could be a significant factor in this difference. One such hormone is estrogen, whose fluctuations relate to migraine attacks. Migraines are common when estrogen levels are low and are made worse by a sudden reduction in estrogen.
Changes in the Weather
Some people are more susceptible to migraines than others because of fluctuations in serotonin levels, which changes in the weather can trigger. A migraine brought on by another factor might be made much worse by weather-related stimuli.
Migraine sufferers who believe the weather plays a role in their condition often feel frustrated, since the weather is something you cannot alter. Migraine headaches can be debilitating, but you can make efforts to reduce their occurrence by identifying the weather changes that trigger them.
Medication Overuse
It’s concerning how many prescriptions people in the United States are using. We only account for around 5% of the global population as a nation, but we use over half of all prescription drugs. Drugs affect the body’s biology to achieve their intended results. Alterations in bodily functioning that come from this are called side effects. Migraines are a common side effect and adverse reaction to numerous drugs.
Diet
An individual’s diet may significantly impact their health and well-being. Eating improperly may negatively affect your health and cause various other problems. If you frequently suffer from migraines, you should investigate whether a particular food or beverage is the cause. Red wine, artificial sweeteners, MSG, cheese, cured meats, and chocolate are just a few examples of foods that can trigger migraines.
Light and Smell
Many migraine victims say that certain odors, especially novel or overpowering ones, bring on their attacks. Perfume, in particular, can cause severe migraine attacks. During an attack, roughly half of those who suffer migraines say they cannot tolerate certain odors. This symptom is termed osmophobia.
Migraine sufferers frequently experience light sensitivity, known as photophobia, which is used as a diagnostic criterion. During an attack, dim light might be too much for 80 to 96 percent of migraine victims with photophobia. Migraine patients often have heightened sensitivity to light, even between attacks.
Caffeine and Alcohol
There is still a lack of understanding as to why alcoholic beverages seem to bring on migraine attacks, and the underlying cause may vary from person to person. It’s possible, for instance, that alcohol is the root cause of migraines, either because of the chemicals it’s broken down into or because of the diuretic effect it can have.
Because caffeine may be both a preventative measure and a reactivating factor for migraines, it can be tricky for people who suffer from them to determine how much to consume. Many people relieve headaches by drinking coffee, which is also included in many over-the-counter medications since it prevents the chemical adenosine from attaching to brain receptors during an attack. However, contrary to popular belief, some migraine sufferers claim that coffee triggers painful headaches.
Check Out Our Location Near You
12201 E Arapahoe Rd B10, Centennial, CO 80112
Frequently Asked Questions About Migraines
Can you visit a chiropractor if you are having a migraine headache?
Yes! Chiropractors are the most highly trained professionals to evaluate and treat misalignments in the cervical spine that might be causing your migraine headaches. Chiropractors identify these misalignments and perform chiropractic adjustments to stimulate the nerves, calm down the nervous system, and decrease the migraines you’re experiencing at Lovett Family Chiropractic.
Are migraine headaches caused by a misaligned neck?
There are many causes of migraine headaches, but it is estimated that 85% of all headaches start in the neck. Chiropractors are uniquely qualified to identify the cause of your migraines, as well as provide chiropractic adjustments to provide tremendous relief from migraines.
How quickly can I get rid of my migraine?
If your migraines are being caused by spinal misalignment, then chiropractic adjustments are the easiest, safest, and most effective way to provide relief from your migraine headaches. Many patients with migraine headaches who are sensitive to light get relief by taking a nap in a dark room.
What are common triggers for migraine attacks?
Migraine triggers vary from person to person, but common ones include stress, irregular sleep schedules, caffeine and alcohol, hormonal fluctuations (especially drops in estrogen), certain medications, changes in weather, specific foods and beverages like red wine, MSG, and chocolate, and sensory triggers like strong odors or bright light.
Why does light bother me so much during a migraine?
Sensitivity to light, known as photophobia, is one of the most common migraine symptoms and is even used as a diagnostic criterion. During an attack, dim light can feel overwhelming for the vast majority of migraine sufferers with photophobia, and many people also experience heightened light sensitivity even between attacks.
$49 New Patient Special
First visit includes a consultation, case review, careful exam, X-rays (if necessary) and initial adjustment. Second visit includes a doctor’s report of findings, care plan recommendations, and treatment if you decide to move forward. Not valid with any other offers or promotions. Restrictions apply. Must mention this coupon at the time of scheduling.