Chiropractic Care May Help Migraine Sufferers

Migraines can be so painful, they can affect your daily life. But an Iowa chiropractor says he has a way to virtually rid you of the pain without medication.       

Dr. Bradley Britton sees a lot of patients who complain of headaches.. some are caused by tension. Others are  migraines. His goal, to rid them of the incapacitating neurological pain of a migraine without a prescription. Dr. Britton says, "Number one we find out what all is wrong, sometimes it's just muscle changes, sometimes it's joint changes. Obviously the nervous system really plays a big role in it."

      

A migraine starts when the blood vessels of the head and neck spasm or constrict and decrease blood flow to the brain. Hours later those vessels dilate and become inflamed causing the headache. Dr. Britton says the spasms can be controlled with chiropractic care, by focusing on the spine.

      

Dr. Britton says, "But the whole reason why we focus so much on the spine is because the nerves exit between each of the vertebrae in the spine, and if you have to have a change in your joint around your spine, you're going to change the way the nerve coming out of that spine is working with that and have all sorts of an array of different problems. Very gentle manipulations allow the joints to have proper movement, and with that movement the nerves work better."

      

The spinal adjustment is not a one time thing. Dr. Britton says he mixes that with other therapies, including exercises to make sure the muscles and spine stay in a healthy alignment. And so far, the practice is working. Dr. Britton says, "People who've even had trouble with migraines for 20-30 years have come in to our clinic and we've been able to take them virtually, completely away."

      Dr. Britton says chiropractic therapy can be used on almost anyone, no matter how long they've had migraines, and no matter how old they are.