Migraine Headache Specialists in Charlotte, NC

Migraine headaches hit close to home for me. I remember when I was younger and my father would battle constant migraine headaches. I would wake up to the sound of him getting sick or running a warm bath to relieve the muscles in his upper neck and head to soothe the pain. He would have to lock himself in a dark room for hours on end hoping that the headaches would go away. It caused him to miss family activities and work because he would have trouble functioning when a migraine would attack.

Do you suffer from migraine headaches?
You are not alone.

Migraine headaches rank in the top 20 of the world's most debilitating diseases and according to the migraine foundation one in four US households have someone who suffers from regular migraines. (1) Click To Tweet

Research shows that a lot of migraines are the result of a vascular condition that results from the body’s inability to control the dilation in construction of the blood vessels also known a vasodilation. What this means is the arteries and veins cannot tighten or loosen to compensate for the change in blood pressure. This is why a person often describes an aura feeling before the headache comes on and then often describe an avalanche of pressure and pain shortly after.

Unfortunately main stream medicine’s answer for migraines is symptomatic treatment. A person is prescribed strong pain killer medications like almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), and sumatriptan (Imitrex), and although this allows the migraine sufferer to get periods of relief, it comes at the expense of many long-term effects on the liver and kidneys. A migraine sufferer will often get short-term relief because these drugs temporarily override the blood vessel dilation centers and allow greater blood flow to the brain. However, often times the symptoms return because as the drug begins to leave the system, the chemically induced blood vessel dilation stops. The reason this only works temporarily is that it is not addressing the underline cause of blood flow issues.

How can I get long-term migraine relief?

Thankfully for my father, and thousands of other migraine sufferers just like him, he found relief through chiropractic care.

As you can see from the images above due to the anatomy of the upper cervical spine, even a small misalignment in the Atlas (C1) or Axis (C2) bones can change the blood flow to the brain, which can be one of the causes of migraine headaches. These subluxations (misalignments) in the bones not only affect the flow of blood to the brain, but when misaligned, they can cause tension to the associated muscles leading to neck pain and tightness. Subluxations in this area also place tension on the brainstem. The brainstem controls and coordinates a multitude of our bodily functions and when subluxations are present in this area it can be a cause for concern later on in life if not properly corrected. Upper cervical subluxations in this area have shown to disrupt or restrict the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in and to the brain, which in turn can increase intracranial pressure resulting in a migraine headache.

Finding a migraine specialist in Charlotte, NC

If you, or someone you know, has been dealing with migraine headaches only to find temporary relief maybe the current treatment is not addressing the underline cause of the condition. 

Here at Clearview Family Chiropractic in Charlotte, NC we take a specific approach of examining the patient’s Craniocervical Junction or upper neck looking for structural misalignments between the head and the top two bones in the neck. If we find an issue in the area and determine it to be the cause of your migraines, we utilize a specific adjustment to correct the structural misalignment to ensure that there is proper blood flow and nerve function to that area of the spine. Often times once we have corrected this structural imbalance, patients begin to feel natural relief from their migraines in as little as three visits.

To schedule a complimentary 20 minute phone consultation with Dr. Doug Morris to learn more call 704-900-1621.

1. https://migraineresearchfoundation.org/about-migraine/migraine-facts/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689902/
3. https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=50352
4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-headaches/