HEALTH & FITNESS :: JUNE/JULY 2007
Migraines: Not All in Your Head: A CASE STUDY
An estimated 28 million people suffer from migraines in the United States. Most of these are women but about 7 million men suffer from migraines as well. Common symptoms include sensitivity to light, noise and/or odors, nausea, pain behind the eye(s), and have throbbing pain on one side of the head. The causes of migraines can be familial, fluctuations in hormones, related to food allergies, or can be a symptom from problems in the cervical spine or neck region. Sometimes the cause can be a combination of these factors as was the case with the following patient.
Kathy K., a 58 year old female, came to Spinal Specialists of Delaware in January 2004. She suffered from chronic daily migraine headaches since 1993. She had been diagnosed with multiple allergies which appear to affect her head-aches. She reported trying many medications, and sought various medical help throughout Delaware and Philadelphia but still reported having headaches 25 days per month. The headaches were rated at 8-9 out of 10 pain scale without medications and 5-6 with medication. The patient was unable to leave the house due to the pain and had to quit her job as a nurse. The patient was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and depression in addition to the daily migraine headaches.
Kathy was examined at Spinal Specialists of Delaware. She received a thorough spinal examination and specific neck X-rays were taken and analyzed at the office. It was found that Kathy’s upper neck twisted to the right and her lower neck was rotated to the left causing extreme tension in her upper neck. She was a candidate for the NUCCA treatment, a specific form of chiropractic that uses the first bone (Atlas) as a lever to move the head upright and the bones below it to the proper position which reduces tension of the nervous system, backbone and muscles of the body. Within one week, Kathy reported to us a marked decrease in the frequency and intensity of the headaches. By one month, her headaches reduced by 50%. Today, she reports having 15 headache free days per month and finds that when she does have a headache, she can tolerate it better without needing as much medication as before coming to Spinal Specialists of Delaware. Kathy’s quality of life has improved since coming to Spinal Specialists of Delaware.
Kathy can now go shopping and visit friends and enjoy her new grandson. She is able to do more around the house and is less worried that she will have to stay in bed for the entire day. Chiropractic has not made her perfect but has reduced the headaches enough for her to leave the house without the fear of experiencing a debilitating headache. She also states, “When I have a headache, I am able to recover without taking medications at least ½ of the time; however, if I take the medication, it seems to be more effective. Also the intensity of the headaches is a lot less with chiropractic.”
So, how could this pain in your head be caused by something in the neck? The joints connecting the top two or three levels of the cervical spine to the base of the skull handle almost 50% of the total motion of the entire neck and head region, thus absorbing a continuous amount of repetitive stress and strain, in addition to bearing the primary load of the weight of the head. Fatigue, postural misalignment, injuries, disc problems, joint degeneration, muscular stress and even prior neck surgeries all can compound the wear and tear on this critical region of the human skeletal anatomy.
How does Spinal Specialists of Delaware successfully treat these head-aches?
First, we assess the condition of the cervical spine. Are the bones properly
aligned, or is there rotation of the vertebrae present that is causing pinching
of the nerves and the stress on the muscles? We check the postural alignment:
is there forward head carriage that is causing increased pressure of the muscles
and discs of the neck. Finally, we treat the results of this assessment by performing
gentle, specific, and corrective spinal adjustments to re-store the proper alignment
to the bones, which help take pressure of the muscle and reestablish proper
muscle tone. If you or someone you love suffers from these horrible head-aches
or other aches and pains, please visit our website www.spinalspecialistsofdelaware.com
for more information and a health pass for a FREE consultation to see if your
problem is related to spine. There is HOPE out there! Spinal Specialists of
Delaware providing “results you can trust” since 2000.
Our Major goals are to 1. Relieve pain 2. Promote full healing 3. Restore and
maintain full function of the body 4. Reduce the likelihood of re-injury 5.
Prevent accelerated degeneration 6. Improve the Quality of Life of our patients
Side Note: In May 2007 Kathy returned from a 2 week trip to Hawaii where she thoroughly enjoyed her time with her husband and friends and had only a minimum amount of head-aches. She was able to island hop and keep up with all the walking and other activities.
For more information about the services rendered at Spinal Specialists of Delaware or to find out if your particular problem can be helped, contact Drs. Burd & Golod at 302-731-0869.
Dr. Julia Golod is a 2001 Cum Laude graduate of Life University in Marietta, GA. She is a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. She has written chiropractic related articles for Bridges and Choices Magazine. She is certified in Trigger Point Therapy, Acute Low Back Case Management, and Soft Tissue Orthopedics. Dr. Golod graduated from the University of Delaware in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience.
Dr. Deana Burd is also a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Life University. She has been practicing in the state of Delaware since 2000. She is a published author in the fields of Chiropractic and Behavioral Economics. She is heavily involved with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chapter of Dela-ware. She is the two time recipient of the Chiropractic Research Assistant of the Year from her University. Dr. Burd specializes in a unique form of chiropractic called NUCCA, which utilizes the upper bone of the neck as a lever to correct the alignment of the entire spine. This gentle but highly specific technique has helped many patients. She is a 1993 graduate from Immaculata University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology.
