Chronic Migraines

Chiropractic care can help people suffering with migraine headaches. According to the American Chiropractic Association 14% of the public who see chiropractors presently go for headaches.  

A study conducted in Australia at the Chiropractic Research Center of Macquarie University studied 177 volunteers who had migraine headaches for over 18 years on average. Many of the participants also suffered from neck pain. The results of the study were published in the February 2000 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

The average response of the group that received chiropractic care showed a statistically significant improvement in migraine frequency, duration, and disability. Those who received chiropractic care were able to reduce or eliminate their medication use. Additionally, 59% had no neck pain after a period of two months, and another 35% had a decrease in neck pain.

Researchers at Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Minnesota, compared chiropractic care to certain drug therapies used for tension and migraine headaches. The study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, followed 218 headache sufferers who were given either chiropractic care or drug therapy or both.  Pain was reduced 40 - 50% in all groups initially.  However, four weeks after all care was stopped, only the chiropractic group still retained the benefits, while those who received the drug therapy lost about half of their improvement. 

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