The Benefits of Functional Neurology for Migraines
If you’ve been dealing with migraines or if your child or partner is also experiencing them, book an assessment and learn what Functional Neurology for Migraine can do. Call Spring Grove Physical Medicine right away.
Migraine disorder is a neurological condition that affects around 40 million Americans and is becoming a significant public health concern. Common symptoms of migraines include intense, throbbing pain that comes and goes on one side of the head (though both sides may be affected). People may become unable to function as a result of this agony.
Migraine sufferers frequently experience a sense of hopelessness. Migraine pain can affect a person’s quality of life and interfere with work and family time. Patients who are looking for treatment choices frequently discover that the medications that are recommended to them have their own undesirable side effects, such as nausea, exhaustion, and depression.
At Spring Grove Physical Medicine, we understand that you might be looking for all-natural, drug-free alternatives to treat your migraine symptoms. Continue reading to see how functional neurology might be able to relieve your migraine discomfort for you!
What is Migraine?
Usually characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head, a migraine is a moderate to severe headache.
Additionally, a lot of people experience symptoms like feeling or being unwell, as well as increased sensitivity to light or sound.
Around 1 in 5 women and 1 in 15 men suffer from migraines, making it a widespread medical disease. Early adulthood is typically when they start.
There are various migraine subtypes, including:
- Migraine with aura: When particular warning symptoms, such as seeing flashing lights, appear soon before the migraine starts.
- The most frequent type of migraine is one without an aura, in which there are no distinct warning symptoms.
- When a migraine aura or other migraine symptoms are present, but a headache does not materialize, this condition is referred to as silent migraine.
Some people can get migraines up to several times per week. Others only occasionally experience migraines.
There could be years between migraine attacks.
Migraines can significantly lower your quality of life and make it difficult for you to go about your everyday activities.
Some folks discover they must spend days at a time in bed.
But there are several efficient therapies available to lessen the symptoms and stop subsequent episodes.
Although migraine attacks can get worse with time, for the majority of people, they typically get better over several years.
Women are more likely than men to experience persistent migraines, accounting for 85% of all migraine patients. Men and women can develop migraines as children, and half of all migraine sufferers experience their first episode before age 12.
Other incapacitating symptoms, including vision abnormalities, nausea, dizziness, or sensitivity to light and sound, are frequently present during migraine attacks. Patients with migraines may experience tingling or numbness in their faces and extremities. Up to 72 hours may pass between these attacks.
One thing to remember is that, in many cases, the symptoms in the neurological system and the brain arise before the headache itself. This is one of the reasons that treating the underlying neurological disease rather than just the symptoms with medicine is more successful.
Causes of migraines
Although the precise cause of migraines is unknown, it is believed that transitory alterations in the brain’s neurotransmitters, neurons, and blood vessels are to blame.
Nearly half of all migraine sufferers also have a close family who has the disorder, which raises the possibility that genes may be involved.
Some people believe specific triggers, such as those listed below, are connected to migraine attacks.
- beginning of their period
- stress
- tiredness
- specific meals or beverages
- migraine medication
Although there is no known cure for migraines, there are several therapies that might help lessen the symptoms. These consist of over-the-counter medications like paracetamol and ibuprofen, painkillers
triptans, drugs that may be used to treat migraines by reversing changes in the brain,
Anti-emetics are drugs that are frequently used to aid patients who are feeling queasy or ill (nausea).
Many people discover that lying down or napping during an attack might be beneficial.
If you experience frequent or severe migraine symptoms, you should visit a doctor. Simple medicines like ibuprofen or paracetamol can work well for migraine.
Try to avoid consistently or frequently taking the total recommended dose of medicines, as this may make treating headaches more difficult over time.
Even if your migraines may be controlled with medication, you should schedule a visit with your doctor if you get them frequently (more than five days per month), as you can benefit from preventative treatment.
Preventing migraines
Avoiding a certain trigger, such as stress or a particular meal, may help lower your risk of developing migraines if you believe it to be the cause of your headaches.
Maintaining a generally healthy lifestyle, such as regular exercise, sleep, and meals, as well as making sure you stay hydrated and limiting your intake of alcohol and caffeine, may also be helpful.
If you experience frequent, severe migraines or if you’ve tried to avoid potential triggers but are still having symptoms, your doctor may recommend medication to help you avoid further attacks.
Topiramate, an anti-seizure drug, and propranolol, a drug often used to treat high blood pressure, are two medications used to prevent migraines.
The first several weeks may be necessary for your migraine symptoms to start getting better.
What Is Functional Neurology?
Functional neurology improves human function through visual rehabilitation, vestibular rehabilitation, proprioceptive rehabilitation, and a deep understanding of neuroanatomy and pathways. Neuroplasticity is the mechanism by which healing after injury or illness can take place.
In order to treat nerve cells, functional neurology employs certain non-invasive therapy techniques.
Since the nervous system is directly responsible for coordinating and balancing all other regions of the body, functional neurology treatments typically focus on particular areas of the nervous system. Your physical and emotional health may be affected by a nervous system imbalance, and you may experience negative effects.
The nervous system may be controlled and brought back into balance, which benefits overall health.
To determine the location, nature, and degree of the neurological imbalance, a thorough examination is the first step in the functional neurology treatment process. The doctor will also try to determine what is causing the imbalance and its symptoms.
Usually, a medical neurologist will treat aberrant nerve function with medication or surgery. In order to restore nerve function, a functional neurologist often uses physical, non-invasive stimulation.
Several examples are as follows:
- Particular eye movements: Saccades, pursuits, and optokinetic reflex
- Head movements that activate certain inner ear structures include: A spherical channel and an otolith
- Using the Interactive Metronome as a form of sensory-motor stimulation can speed up reaction times to visual and aural signals.
- balance training: Training using force plates and vestibular rehabilitation
- Exercises, adjustments, and manual treatment with a focus on the nervous system
The Role of Neuroplasticity in Functional Neurology
Functional neurology’s guiding principle is neuroplasticity, which is the most fascinating field of neurological research since it allows for “altering the brain” without medicines or surgery.
The word used to describe changes in neuronal pathways and synapses is neuroplasticity, also referred to as brain plasticity. Brain plasticity is brought on by alterations in your environment, brain functioning, and outcomes of physical trauma. The myth that your brain cannot change has been replaced with neuroplasticity, which examines how and why changes occur in the brain.
According to neuroscientific studies, your brain’s experiences can truly alter both its physical makeup and functional organization. Accordingly, neurons create synaptic connections that enable them to activate in concert and mold how your brain functions. Additionally, it implies that neurons may lose synaptic connections along important routes, impairing the functionality of your brain. Additionally, you can create more effective pathways in ways you don’t want them to, like persistent pain or dystonia.
Remodeling of the many components of your nervous system through neuroplasticity allows it to function more effectively and even regenerate. This occurs when neurons receive the appropriate level and type of stimulation without going over the rate at which your brain cells can burn through energy.
What Are the Treatment Options for Those Suffering from Migraine Disease?
Many people who get migraines have developed at least some coping mechanisms. Patients may take a medication that their doctor has prescribed. Others might take a nap in a silent, dark space. Both, however, have drawbacks. Many people (mothers, workers, caregivers) may not have the luxury of unbroken silence when a migraine comes because of the negative effects of migraine drugs. Again, other treatments, like acupuncture, address the disease’s symptoms.
Consider Functional Neurology as a migraine treatment option if you or someone you care about experiences migraines. Functional neurology will treat the underlying causes of your migraine as well as its symptoms.
Functional Neurology for Migraine
There are four potential causes of migraines: hormonal imbalances, neck-related musculoskeletal disorders, metabolic problems, and incorrect nervous system activity. Your pain may be caused by one or more of them, if not all of them. Testing will be done in conjunction with you to identify your triggers. This testing, which may include the following, will go much beyond what is available from doctors and traditional treatment.
- Analysis of posture and balance
- lab tests for hormones
- Vestibular and visual examination
- thorough blood testing
- Muscle and skeletal analysis
We can then create a specialized treatment plan that is tailored to what is occurring in your body based on the findings of this evaluation.
It may also involve eye movement therapy, nutritional regimens, all-natural hormonal treatments, brain stimulation, and neuromuscular rehabilitation. The Functional Neurology for Migraine treatment strategy will always take into account the unique underlying factors that contributed to your migraine sickness.