Migraine

Shrinkgirl said:
I continue to see him at least every 3-4 weeks for adjustments. Since the daily headaches have developed, the chronic pain tends to cause misalignments in my neck and upper back, which, in turn, can feed back into the headaches. So the adjustments help to break that feedback loop.

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Shrinkgirl,
I just want to be certain that I understand this part.
Are you saying that the HA causes the misalignment?
And the misaligment, in turn, causes the HA to worsen, or causes another HA?

I've begun to suspect that this is the case for me.

I'm asking because I have started to see a Chiro regularly. Anyway, I went to see him yesterday for a very routine adjustment and last night I went to two classes - Pilates and Yoga. I do this ever week and I didn't do anything unusual or feel any discomfort. I had a some HA yesterday and today -the usual daily HA and the regularly scheduled monthly hormonal HA.

Today, I had a massage and she told me that my neck was out of alignment and I needed to see a chiropractor. So I went back to Chiro again today and now I'm all back in line again. We'll see how long I stay there...

I told him about the exercise classes and said that I do that all the time, but he didn't seem to agree that the HA caused the misalignment.

He thinks I need x-rays and that there's something "wrong" with my neck. I agreed to consider the x-rays and then we came up with a schedule for chiro and massage and some neck strengthening exercises. The goal is to maximaize the time my neck is in line because it could be causing/exacerbating my headaches.

Here's the schedule:

1. chiro 3 days before I expect the regularly scheduled monthly hormonal HA.

2. chiro again about 10 days later, after the hormonal HA is over

3. massage about a week after that.

This seems reasonable to me and the x-rays seem reasonable too. I expect him to find nothing wrong with my neck, but what do I know?

Do your records show better HA days after chiro visits?

Do you have a set schedule for visits or do you just know when to go? (I used to go only after long plane flights, and I could tell I needed to go!)

Hi,

The HA doesn't *directly* cause the misalignments, but when you're in chronic pain, you tend to tense other muscle groups, especially your neck, shoulders, and upper back, and that, in turn, can cause misalignments, which can then further aggravate the HA. Plus, for me, it makes my back and shoulders hurt. Going to the chiro on a regular basis helped keep all of that in check. It didn't really help the HAs much when I was going through the worst of it. However, I don't have any acute neck problems contributing to my HAs right now. But it has definitely helped keep my lower back in shape during the past year when I haven't been able to exercise due to the headaches. I would agree that if your neck is often significantly out of alignment, it could be contributing to your headaches.

Has your chiro ever done Xrays? Personally, I never let any chiro touch me until they've looked at my xrays, and if I haven't had any in a while, then I get a new set. Especially if they're going to adjust my neck. If your chiro has recommended neck xrays, you might want to get them before you have another neck adjustment. Otherwise, you could be risking injury.

I have a regular schedule for my appointments. By the time I feel like I need to go, things are pretty far out of alignment. I seem to do best when I'm on a regular schedule. I was doing well on a monthly schedule, but recently I've been back to twice a month because the lack of exercise in the past year is starting to catch up with my back

Robin

Thanks Shrinkgirl,

I think I understand this a little better now. This could be why I tend to do better if I go to yoga regularly. I will definitely take your advice on the x-rays!

Thanks again and have a good weekend!

OMG! A friend of mine went to the chiropractor for migraines. When he worked on her back it was ok. But after he worked on her neck her migraines were worse than ever. Her neuro doctor said never let them work on your neck or head. I don't know anything else much about it. Guess that could just happen but it makes sense to me not to push around on and mess with the neck.

I see this topic hasn't been addressed in two months but it peaked my interest because I just started seeing a chiro. and have seen a slight bit of difference. (I migraine as I type).

I started with him because I hurt my back rough housing (guess I'm not 16 anymore huh?). Anyway, after x-rays my PCM found a slight curve in my lower spine and some bone spurs in my mid spine along with a compacted "shelf" at the base of my skull. He recommended a chiro and so I started going.

Bear in mind, I was very skeptical but decided that since I quit work to focus on controlling my migs it was time to shake away the skeptism. He was able to rid me of the lower back pain in two visits and now he focuses on my migs.

I went in on Tues with the beginnings of a mig and he got rid of it; Wed it tried to come back and I went in again, gone again. Thursday it hit in the middle of the night so I still have it. But, I am willing to keep on trying. He is working closely with my neuro, explains what he is doing and refused to do anything until he saw an xray of me.

I am hopeful!!

I've used both many times, only a couple of times for migraines. Chiropractic was not so helpful & really exacerbated my suffering. Acupuncture is the most relaxing treatment of any type I've ever done. I practically go to sleep during treatments. However, for migraine the effect is only there while I'm being treated. I have not seen a significant lasting improvement from either treatment.

Chiropractic: I was very skeptical until I was actually referred to a chiropractor by a physical therapist! As shrinkgirl says, there are good chiropractors and not-so-good ones; ethical ones and unethical ones. An ethical chiropractor should be clear about the possibility his/her treatment may not be the thing that will help you. I have always appreciated the honesty and professionalism of my chiropractor. Since different chiropractors have different philosophies, it's important to be sure you feel comfortable with your own chiropractor's philosophy.

Neck adjustments CAN cause strokes. An ethical chiropractor should be willing to admit this fact. However, it is an extremely rare outcome. I allow my chiropractor to adjust my neck at times because it seems the only hope of dealing with some symptoms. It makes me nervous, but I know the risk is actually small.

Adjustments sometimes helped me with headaches that resulted from my neck and shoulders being in spasm. I don't know whether they would help migraines or not; I didn't have a migraine diagnosis in those days. I only see the chiropractor a couple of times a year now; I started exercising nearly 10 years ago, and the improved muscle tone has taken care of nearly all of the aches and pains the chiropractor used to treat.

Acupuncture: I've never tried it, and I really don't want to. However, I do know it's important to verify the acupuncturist's training AND to question him/her about how he/she sanitizes the needles! That is an important point. (No pun intended.)