Mary Franz - Mar 16th, 2011
Nearly 15 percent of the population suffers from migraine headaches. To manage the pain of migraines, people often turn to pain medication or preventative medication that may come with side effects. In fact, some individuals do not tolerate the medication well enough to benefit from the pain relief it provides.
Some of the side effects of migraine pain medicines include stomach irritation, nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, rebound headaches, drowsiness and withdrawal symptoms. Side effects of preventative medicines such as beta-blockers, antidepressants, anti-seizure drugs, cyproheptadine and botox can also be troublesome.
Chiropractic care for migraines is non-pharmacological, and a recent review shows promise in using chiropractic care as an alternative to potentially dangerous drugs. In a review of randomized clinical trials on manual therapies for migraine including physiotherapy, relaxation and chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy, it was found that these treatments may be just as effective in preventing migraines as preventative drugs such as propranolol (cardiac drug) and topiramate (anti-seizure), which are commonly used to manage migraines.
Although the causes of migraines are still largely unknown, and more research is required, chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy can potentially offer migraine sufferers a noninvasive, drug-free way to pain relief.
Chaibi A, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB. Manual therapies for migraine: a systematic review. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2011 Feb 5.
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