Migraine Treatment in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
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A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or
a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head.
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It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme
sensitivity to light and sound.
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Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be
so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
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For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs
before or with the headache.
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An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashes of
light or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of
the face or in an arm or leg and difficulty speaking.
● Medications can help prevent some migraines
and make them less painful. The right medicines, combined with self-help
remedies and lifestyle changes, might help.
Symptoms
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Migraines, which affect children and teenagers as well as
adults, can progress through four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and
post-drome. Not everyone who has migraines goes through all stages.
Prodrome
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One or two days before a migraine, you might notice subtle
changes that warn of an upcoming migraine, including:
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Constipation
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Mood changes, from depression to euphoria
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Food cravings
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Neck stiffness
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Increased urination
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Fluid retention
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Frequent yawning
Aura
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For some people, an aura might occur before or during migraines.
Auras are reversible symptoms of the nervous system. They’re usually visual but
can also include other disturbances. Each symptom usually begins gradually,
builds up over several minutes and can last up to 60 minutes.
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Examples of migraine auras include:
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Visual phenomena, such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or
flashes of light
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Vision loss
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Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg
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Weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body
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Difficulty speaking
Attack
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A migraine usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours if untreated. How
often migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraines might occur
rarely or strike several times a month.
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During a migraine, you might have:
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Pain usually on one side of your head, but often on both sides
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Pain that throbs or pulses
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Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch
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Nausea and vomiting
Post-drome
● After a migraine attack, you might feel
drained, confused and washed out for up to a day. Some people report feeling
elated. Sudden head movement might bring on the pain again briefly.
When to see a doctor
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Migraines are often undiagnosed and untreated. If you regularly
have signs and symptoms of migraine, keep a record of your attacks and how you
treated them. Then make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your
headaches.
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Even if you have a history of headaches, see your doctor if the
pattern changes or your headaches suddenly feel different.
●
See your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room if you
have any of the following signs and symptoms, which could indicate a more
serious medical problem:
–
An abrupt, severe headache like a thunderclap
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Headache with fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizures, double
vision, numbness or weakness in any part of the body, which could be a sign of
a stroke
–
Headache after a head injury
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A chronic headache that is worse after coughing, exertion,
straining or a sudden movement
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New headache pain after age 50
Causes
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Though migraine causes aren’t fully understood, genetics and
environmental factors appear to play a role.
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Changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the
trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway, might be involved. So might imbalances
in brain chemicals — including serotonin, which helps regulate pain in your
nervous system.
● Researchers are studying the role of serotonin
in migraines. Other neurotransmitters play a role in the pain of migraine,
including calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP).
Migraine triggers
There are a number of migraine triggers, including:
● Hormonal changes in women. Fluctuations in
estrogen, such as before or during menstrual periods, pregnancy and menopause,
seem to trigger headaches in many women.
Hormonal medications, such as oral contraceptives, also can worsen migraines.
Some women, however, find that their migraines occur less often when taking
these medications.
● Drinks. These include alcohol, especially
wine, and too much caffeine, such as coffee.
● Stress. Stress at work or home can cause
migraines.
● Sensory stimuli. Bright or flashing lights can
induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — such as perfume, paint
thinner, secondhand smoke and others — trigger migraines in some people.
● Sleep changes. Missing sleep or getting too
much sleep can trigger migraines in some people.
● Physical factors. Intense physical exertion,
including sexual activity, might provoke migraines.
● Weather changes. A change of weather or
barometric pressure can prompt a migraine.
● Medications. Oral contraceptives and
vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines.
● Foods. Aged cheeses and salty and processed
foods might trigger migraines. So might skipping meals.
● Food additives. These include the sweetener
aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods.
Risk factors
Several factors make you more prone to having migraines,
including:
● Family history. If you have a family member
with migraines, then you have a good chance of developing them too.
● Age. Migraines can begin at any age, though
the first often occurs during adolescence. Migraines tend to peak during your
30s, and gradually become less severe and less frequent in the following
decades.
● Sex. Women are three times more likely than
men to have migraines.
● Hormonal changes. For women who have
migraines, headaches might begin just before or shortly after onset of
menstruation. They might also change during pregnancy or menopause. Migraines
generally improve after menopause.
Complications
●
Taking painkillers too often can trigger serious
medication-overuse headaches. The risk seems to be highest with aspirin,
acetaminophen and caffeine combinations. Overuse headaches may also occur if
you take aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) for more than 14 days
a month or triptans, sumatriptan (Imitrex, Tosymra) or rizatriptan (Maxalt,
Maxalt-MLT) for more than nine days a month.
● Medication-overuse headaches occur when
medications stop relieving pain and begin to cause headaches. You then use more
pain medication, which continues the cycle.
Diagnosis
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If you have migraines or a family history of migraines, a doctor
trained in treating headaches (neurologist) will likely diagnose migraines
based on your medical history, symptoms, and a physical and neurological
examination.
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If your condition is unusual, complex or suddenly becomes
severe, tests to rule out other causes for your pain might include:
● Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI scan
uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed images of
the brain and blood vessels. MRIscans help doctors diagnose tumors, strokes,
bleeding in the brain, infections, and other brain and nervous system
(neurological) conditions.
● Computerized tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan
uses a series of X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the brain.
This helps doctors diagnose tumors, infections, brain damage, bleeding in the
brain and other possible medical problems that may be causing headaches.
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating migraines and are your
source for expert treatment of migraines in Westminster and Denver Colorado.
Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and chiropractic in
Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many other advanced
treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston technique, KT
Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop table, toggle, in
house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your Premier
destination for migraine treatment in Westminster Colorado and Denver Colorado
Chiropractor.