Migraines

The common theories about the cause of migraines point towards a neurological disruption of some sort or another. With this in mind, treating them through the osteopathic “lens” can often be extremely successful.

 

A good example of this was patient in her early 20s presenting with a long history of frequent severe migraines (2-3 a week). After being put on Atenolol (a β-blocker to control hypertension (high BP)) the migraines disappeared. She was delighted with this as it allowed her to lead a normal life. However, she didn’t want to be on drugs for her whole life (understandably).

 

The approach taken was that something was causing the hypertension and if we could work this out then in theory the drug would not longer be required. Now blood pressure is finely controlled by the nervous system (like everything in the body) – more specifically the sympathetic nervous system which is the one that reacts to nor-adrenaline. If this is constantly stimulated then there will be a constant disruption to the control of many processes but in this case blood pressure.

 

The chain of sympathetic nerves run alongside the upper back, so treatment was focused around ensuring that this was moving efficiently. This involved a global approach looking at the entire body to ensure that the upper back wasn’t compensating for other areas.

 

The results have been great and the patient has chosen to reduce her Atenolol throughout the treatment (I must point out that this was her decision, not mine!). No migraines to date. We hope by working together, she will be able to enjoy her life without drugs, migraines and osteopathic treatment.

 

Watch this space for an update.