Migraines in Apex North Carolina
If you are living with the devastating pain of migraines, you’re more than likely dealing with the usual debilitating symptoms that include nausea, extreme sensitivity to sound or light, vomiting and intense pain. Some migraine sufferers also experience weird visual disturbances that some describe as what looks like electrical bolts of color (auras), a tingling or numbing feeling, having difficulty speaking and clumsiness, and the attacks typically last between 4 to 72 hours. The standard medical treatments for migraines usually consist of a combination of prescription and over the counter drugs that are usually far from effective and don’t treat the root cause. In addition, most of these drugs come with a long list of potentially dangerous side effects.
What is Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care?
This chiropractic approach focused of the upper cervical spine is a rapidly growing, safe and accurate type of care that centers on the connection between the upper cervical spine (the first two bones in the neck) and the brain stem. An imbalance in the body takes place when the Atlas (C1) and/or the Axis (C2), the top 2 vertebra in the neck, are out of alignment. This misalignment can come about as a result of physical trauma including car accidents, sports injuries, falls, and other head and neck injuries.
Migraines and Upper Cervical Care
A misalignment in the upper cervical spine can affect the functionality of the brain stem which in turn can cause migraine headaches. Doctors who specialize in the brain stem and upper cervical care receive extensive education and training, using the latest, state of the art technologies to analyze the misalignment and correct it. The goal of the upper cervical doctor is to correct spinal misalignments in order to restore normal function to the nervous system or brain stem, consequently addressing what is actually causing the migraines instead of just treating the symptoms. The end result of upper cervical care has actually been so exceptional that the vast majority of migraine sufferers have significantly improved in both the frequency and severity of their migraines.
Today there is a significant amount of evidence that has been presented that confirms the positive effects of chiropractic care designed for migraines. A fairly recent Norwegian systematic review of treatments for migraine prevention carried out February 4, 2011 concluded that upper cervical chiropractic spinal adjustments, as well as other conservative treatments appear to work just as well as medications usually prescribed to treat migraines (topiramate and propranolol). While most of the published research that supports the chiropractic treatment of migraines is primarily based on case reports, there have been additional studies and randomized clinical trials that have shown that upper cervical chiropractic adjustments also appear to have a better effect than massages when it comes to addressing cervicogenic headaches.
If you are currently suffering from migraine headaches you should consider consulting with a doctor that specializes in Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care; it just may be a life changing decision.
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