National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month: How Chiro, Massage and Acupuncture Can Ease Your Pain
For those who experience migraines and headaches, everyday tasks during an episode become extremely difficult. That’s why June is National Migraine & Headache Awareness Month. This event encourages those with headaches and migraines to get proper diagnosis and treatment, while highlighting the available options for relief. Chiropractic care, massage therapy, and acupuncture are three treatment methods that may reduce the frequency and severity of these conditions.
What’s the Difference Between Migraines and Headaches?
It’s important to understand the difference between these two headache disorders. Most people will experience a headache at some point in their lives. However, migraines are a recurrent, often debilitating condition that affect 1 in 7 people, according to the World Health Organization.
Headaches are usually short-term, lasting for a few hours — although, you may experience them in clusters for days at a time. A headache is characterized by mild to severe pressure or aching on both sides of the head.
Depending on the type of headache you’re experiencing, the causes may vary:
- Stress
- Muscle tension or strain
- Sinuses or illness
On the other hand, migraine episodes can last anywhere from hours to days and cause a more intense reaction than a headache. In fact, migraines are accompanied by several symptoms beyond head pain:
- Nausea
- Pain behind the eyes or ears
- Light sensitivity
- Temporary loss of vision
- Seeing spots or flashes of light
- Vomiting
While more research is needed to determine the exact cause of migraine, it’s becoming clearer that this condition stems from the nervous system. More specifically, it is an instability in how the brain deals with certain sensory information.
Some of these sensory triggers, include:
- Bright lights
- Loud noises
- Stress or anxiety
- Alcohol
- Hormonal changes
Treatment Options for Migraines & Headaches in Bend
Generally, migraine and headaches are treated using over-the-counter medications — and prescriptions in severe cases. However, these options treat the symptoms rather than the source of your problem. Holistic chiropractic care aims to get to the root cause of your discomfort and deliver longer-lasting results.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic adjustments fix subluxations, or misalignments, in the spine that can put pressure on the nerves and trigger headaches. By restoring the proper alignment and nerve function, chiropractic care can potentially reduce the frequency of attacks.
Massage Therapy
If your headaches stem from muscle tightness or stress, then massage therapy is clear choice. Your massage therapist in Bend will focus on trigger points in the back, shoulder, neck, and head. This technique releases pressure in the compressed nerves that are sending pain signals and making your headache worse.
Not to mention, massage therapy in Bend provides mental and physical relaxation to combat stress and tension headaches. Other benefits include:
- Relaxing tense muscles putting pressure on nerve pathways
- Relieving muscle spasms
- Improving blood flow to vessels that supply the brain
Acupuncture
Acupuncture focuses on the same trigger points as massage therapy. However, rather than simply releasing pressure, your acupuncturist in Bend signals the release of hormones and endorphins that make headache pain more bearable. This treatment option is also thought to help because of how it stimulates the immune and circulatory systems.
The best chiropractic care in Bend aims to keep you comfortable well after your appointment ends. That’s why our trained staff not only offers these treatment options for headaches, but we also give you lifestyle recommendations that may make your migraines and headaches more manageable.