Migraines and Headaches – What Can Be Done?

It is estimated that around 10% of people in Canada suffer from migraines with the functional impact ranging from moderate to severe (1). Globally reported rates of other headache categories, such as tension headaches, range from 24-37% (4). See Table 1 for some examples of headache types and how they present.

If you suffer from migraines, or headaches in general, on a regular basis, it can impact your quality of life in several ways including:

- mood changes and irritability

- time lost with family, missing kids sports games, school events, birthday parties

- lost wages from time off work

- other financial burdens

- avoidance of foods and smells

The good news is that there are natural treatment options available that may help you reduce the frequency, severity, and sensitivity of your headaches.

How Can Physiotherapy and Chiropractic Care Help?

There are a few ways that physiotherapy and chiropractic care can help your headaches:

1) Education – Examples include helping you to understand what headache pattern you are experiencing and identify possible triggers for your headaches

2) Manual Therapy – Hands on spinal mobilisations and manipulations have been shown effective in reducing the frequency of cervicogenic headaches, chronic tension headaches, and migraines (2,5,6)

3) Prescribe Exercises – Exercise therapy has been shown to reduce the intensity of migraines (7). This may include exercises to strengthen, stretch, and relax the muscles supporting the head and neck.

Next Steps

If you suffer from frequent headaches, you can call or book an appointment online now to come see us. We will assess your headaches, and we will work together with you to come up with a management plan to improve your quality of life.

“The longer you delay creating your future, the less time you get to spend living it”

- Unknown

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References:

(1)Amoozegar, F., Khan, Z., Oviedo-Ovando, M., Sauriol, S., & Rochdi, D. (2022). The Burden of Illness of Migraine in Canada: New Insights on Humanistic and Economic Cost. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 49(2), 249-262. doi:10.1017/cjn.2021.75

(2)Bini P, Hohenschurz-Schmidt D, Masullo V, Pitt D, Draper-Rodi J. The effectiveness of manual and exercise therapy on headache intensity and frequency among patients with cervicogenic headache: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chiropr Man Therap. 2022 Nov 23;30(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12998-022-00459-9. PMID: 36419164; PMCID: PMC9682850.

(3) Loder E, Rizzoli P. Tension-type headache. BMJ. 2008;336(7635):88–92. doi:10.1136/bmj.39412.705868.AD

(4) Chowdhury D. Tension type headache. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2012;15(Suppl 1):S83–S88. doi:10.4103/0972-2327.100023

(5) Chaibi, A., Russell, M.B. Manual therapies for primary chronic headaches: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Headache Pain 15, 67 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1129-2377-15-67

(6) Elena Muñoz-Gómez, Marta Inglés, Pilar Serra-Añó, Gemma V. Espí-López,

Effectiveness of a manual therapy protocol based on articulatory techniques in migraine patients. A randomized controlled trial, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, Volume 54, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102386.

(7) Busch V, Gaul C. Exercise in Migraine Therapy—Is There Any Evidence for Efficacy? A Critical Review. Headache 2008;48:890-899.