Migraine
The word "migraine" combines the word "hemicranias" (which means half the head) and megrim, which in the 18th century meant low feeling on a whim.
Migraine is a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms. For many people the main feature is a painful headache. Other symptoms include disturbed vision, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, feeling sick and vomiting.
Clinically, migraine is subdivided into five phases: prodrome, aura, headache phase, headache resolution and postdrome.
The prodrome is experienced by about 60% of migraine sufferers and is characterised by mood changes, food cravings, increased or decreased appetite, nausea, numbness and tingling, an inability or difficulty to speak (aphasia or dysphasia) and clumsiness/weakness of one side of the body.
This is followed by an aura phase, experienced by about 20% of migraine sufferers, typically characterised by bright dots of lights in the visual field (photopsias) and seeing crescents of light (fortifications).
Following the aura phase, the headache begins, lasting anywhere between 4-72 hours in the absence of medication. The headache resolution is then followed by the postdromal phase, which is characterised by fatigue, irritability, mood changes and food intolerance.
The symptoms will vary from person to person and individuals may have different symptoms during different attacks. Your attacks may differ in length and frequency. Migraines usually last from 4 to 72 hours and most people are free from symptoms between attacks.
There are several types of migraine, including:
- Migraine with aura is when there is a warning sign, known as aura, before the migraine begins. About a third of people with migraine have this. Warning signs may include visual problems (such as flashing lights) and stiffness in the neck, shoulders or limbs.
- Migraine without aura.
- Migraine without headache, also known as silent migraine, is when an aura or other migraine symptoms are experienced, but a headache does not develop.
A large study involving 127 participants was reported in the February 2000 issue of the "Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics." In this study, the subjects who received two months of chiropractic treatment experienced significant improvements in migraine frequency, duration, disability and medication used compared to the control group. Twenty-two percent of the participants reported more than 90 percent reduction of migraines.
If your fed up with living with migraines, our Chiropractor can put an end to them. Call our Grimsby Chiropractic Clinic on 01472 488082.
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