How effective is the treatment for migraines? Proof chiropractic works

Seventy-two per cent of migraine sufferers in a clinical trial experienced either ‘substantial’ or ‘noticeable’ improvement after a period of chiropractic treatment, defying historical skepticism of chiropractics by some medical practitioners. The randomised clinical trial was undertaken by Dr Peter Tuchin, a chiropractor for the past 20 years, as part of his recently-completed PhD thesis at Macquarie University.

“Around 22 per cent [of patients] had substantial reduction – which means that more than 60 percent of their symptoms reduced during the course of the treatment,” Tuchin says. “What makes this a really strong result is that this was a really chronic group – the average length of time they’d had migraines was 18 years. To get a change of that sort of magnitude in a really chronic group was quite amazing.

“Another 50 per cent had quite noticeable improvement. They either found that the frequency of the migraines was less, the length of time they had them was less or that they didn’t need to use their medications as much. This last result is very significant because some of the migraine medications are very strong drugs which have lots of side effects. Some of the migraine medications also have the problem of giving instant relief to the migraine, but creating another ‘rebound migraine’ the next day.”

The trial used 123 migraine sufferers, whittled down from around 1000 who applied after seeing a television program about the research. This group was divided into a treatment group who received chiropractic care, and a control group who were told they were receiving a form of electrical physical therapy.

“Both groups kept a record of their migraines for the whole six months, noting down how often they got them, how severe they were, how long they lasted, and if there was anything they could think of that contributed to them,” Tuchin explains. “For two months prior to any treatment they just diarised their migraines, followed by two months of treatment and then two months of post-treatment.”

Chiropractic adjustments are not only great for helping reduce the severity of migraines, but regular chiropractic care can also help reduce the frequency of these migraines as well. What many people don’t realize is that their poor posture can actually contribute to their migraines. When you spend the whole day hunched over a phone, tablet or computer screen, you start putting some serious strain on your neck and back muscles, which can increase chances of getting subluxations and a migraine.




Don’t forget, your chiropractor can also talk to you about different lifestyle choices that you may be making that can contribute to your migraines. Many studies have found that certain foods, lack of exercise and poor habits can all increase a person’s chances of getting a migraine and act as triggers for these headaches. Typical triggers include stress, anxiety and depression, or migraines may be an indicator of a more serious health issue. Speak with your chiropractor about your lifestyle choices if you are suffering from frequent migraines, they may be able to help you adopt healthier habits that can change your health and your headaches for the better.

source  http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/05/22/10268.aspx