Migraine is a debilitating
condition for its sufferers. It is costly in terms of
pain, money, and pharmacological use need. Drugs are still
the “gold standard” of care. Patients often request choices from their
migraine healthcare providers for non-drug alternatives.
Colorado Springs migraine sufferers want choices!
The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR puts forward that exercise may be one
such useful option.
EXERCISE FOR CHRONIC PAIN
Migraine is, for most Colorado Springs migraine sufferers,
a chronic pain condition. It’s not usually a one
time condition. Chronic pain disrupts
the nervous system as well as the specific pain-generator. Researchers explained evidence that exercise helps a
variety of chronic pain conditions including migraine directly and indirectly
with an aim to change the cycle of pain,
sedentariness, and declining disability. These
changes don’t emerge overnight. They come with
long-term, consistent, individualized exercise giving rise to improvement in pain and function. (1) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR reminds
our Colorado Springs chiropractic patients with all types of
conditions that it’s slow and steady commitment that results in desired
outcomes.
EXERCISE FOR MIGRAINE BEING STUDIED
Researchers and migraine sufferers alike hold out hope for an easy, low-cost approach to migraine care. For
example, a new comparison project of
neck-specific exercise versus sham ultrasound to decrease
the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. (2) A recent meta-analysis
in Headache explained that aerobic exercise for migraine patients
decreased the number of migraine days. (3) These are valuable
outcomes for Colorado Springs migraine treatment.
EXERCISE BENEFITS: Overall and Migraine Specific
Colorado Springs chiropractic patients are manytimes
encouraged to exercise. Exercise seems like a endorsed
panacea for everything from back pain to migraine to depression to neck pain
and so much more. Why? It works. Exercise suppresses inflammation
via reduction of inflammatory modulators (many cytokines) and stress hormones
(growth hormone and cortisol). Exercise positively impacts
the microvascular system that possibly influences
a certain type of cortical spreading depression. Specific
to migraine, exercise helped migraine self-efficacy by allowing
the migraine sufferer to have a sense of control which lessened
migraine burden. How much exercise does this?
“Sufficiently rigorous aerobic exercise” resulted in statistically
significant decrease in migraine frequency, intensity and
duration. That’s appreciated by Colorado Springs
migraine sufferers! Of course, higher intensity exercise seems
to bring about more benefit. Pharmacological drugs like topiramate were
reported to be superior to exercise, but adding exercise to its use was suggested to be beneficial. Migraine sufferers
who also experience neck pain or tension headache are reported as
benefiting from exercise. Low impact is worthwhile
if high impact exercise is not doable. (4) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR agrees
with the researchers’ bottom-line: exercise is a practical
evidence-based recommendation for migraine prevention.
CONTACT The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. David Kulla on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he presents
how he followed The
Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with
migraine which incorporated Cox® Technic spinal manipulation
as well as exercise for welcomed relief by his patient.