How Chiropractic Care Can Help Relieve Your Migraines by Restoring Nervous System Function

If you're reading this, you may be struggling with migraines and looking for something that actually helps. I'm Dr. Joshua Gelber from Annex Family Chiropractic in Toronto, and I look at migraines through a lens that is often overlooked: how well your nervous system is working.

What are migraines?

Migraines are more than bad headaches. You might also have nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and even visual disturbances. The exact cause isn't fully understood, but migraines are believed to involve abnormal brain activity that affects nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.

The nervous system's role

Your nervous system is your body's command centre, including for how you feel pain. Misalignments in the spine, which chiropractors call subluxations, can interfere with nerve function. That is why I look closely at the spine, and especially the neck, when someone tells me they get migraines.

How chiropractic care may help

Chiropractic care focuses on finding and correcting disruptions in the neuromusculoskeletal system by examining the spine. Precise adjustments, by hand or with an instrument, aim to correct misalignments, take pressure off and reduce nerve irritation.

• Realigning the spine to relieve pressure on the nerves
• Reducing muscle tension, which often plays a part in migraines
• Supporting healthy nervous system function overall

What the research looks at

In 2011, evidence-based guidelines published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reviewed the research on chiropractic care for adults with headache, including migraine. In 2015, researchers published the design of a placebo-controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine in BMJ Open.

A patient's experience

I've now been seeing Dr. Gelber for 4 years… Dr. Gelber and Grace (his receptionist) are super kind and work hard to make sure every patient is tended to and that their individual needs are met!

Victoria G.

Is it worth a visit?

If migraines are running your life, a thorough assessment will tell us whether chiropractic is a good fit for you. If it isn't, we will recommend another health professional. Please keep working with your doctor on any medication.

Interested in learning more? Read What a Shorter Leg Tells Me About Your Spine. Looking for a chiropractor in Toronto? Book online or call 416-967-4466.

References

1. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2011;34(5):274-89.
2. Chaibi A, Šaltytė Benth J, Tuchin PJ, Russell MB. Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine: a study protocol of a single-blinded placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2015;5(11):e008095.