Over 39 million Americans live with migraines or headaches.* If you are one, you know migraine can be debilitating. Migraine attacks can feel throbbing, aching, stabbing, and pulsing on one side of the head. No matter what form your migraines take, we can all agree a migraine headache is no fun to deal with.
*The actual number of migraine and headache sufferers may be much higher. May with treatable symptoms don't seek the care they deserve.
How do you deal with stress?
Life is stressful. How do you deal with stress? If you are suffering from migraines, probably not as well as you could be. Whether your stress comes from school, your job, your home life, sports, or a combination of them all, when stress lingers it can become chronic.
What happens when we have all this stress? We hold it in our muscles. Stress can be held in many areas of our body including our pelvic floors, backs, necks, and shoulders. And this muscular stress can show up as a migraine.
Everyone's migraines show up just a little different, but a common way is the Vestibular Migraine.
What is a Vestibular Migraine?
A Vestibular Migraine is a nervous system problem that causes repeated dizziness or vertigo, especially for people who have a history of migraine symptoms. But unlike traditional migraines, a vestibular migraine doesn't always have a headache. You might be thinking, "If a vestibular migraine doesn't have a headache as a symptom, what are the symptoms?" You might have a vestibular migraine if you feel:
- Dizziness
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Balance Issues
- Sensitivity to Sound
- Unsteady Feeling
Vestibular refers to inner ear problems in that you feel dizzy or imbalanced due to a disruption in the connection between the inner ear and the brain. The main issue with Vestibular Migraines is that you can feel dizzy or unbalanced without dealing with a migraine at all.
At least for now, doctors aren't sure of exactly what causes this type of migraine. But stress is believed to be a contributing factor. For example, women suffer more from vestibular migraines than men, and their symptoms often get worse around menstruation.
Our Physical Therapists at FYZICAL Oklahoma City recognize that your stress is unique, but there are some universal things that we can focus on to relieve some stress and get rid of your Vestibular Migraine.
Vestibular Migraine Treatment
Dr. Lauren Peterson, Clinical Director goes in-depth on what a Vestibular Migraine is and how we would treat them with physical therapy here at FYZICAL Oklahoma City.
When you are dealing with a Vestibular Migraine, we will slowly integrate both the somatosensory and visual systems for our balance either down or out of the systems, and do balance exercises so that your vestibular system doesn't have to take as much of the load. Your Vestibular System is overwhelmed when you have a vestibular migraine, so we're going to do Balance Therapy to quiet the vestibular system as much as possible and add other things to help you balance. So, use your somatosensory system to be able to use your eyes better. To help with that, we will be doing gaze stabilization exercises. Just like with weight training, you start with little to no weight and slowly work your way up. The same thing with your balance levels and deficits first, that is why you have to come to therapy so we can figure out what that baseline is and figure out what your deficits are. Then slowly, we have a program that loads your system into whatever system we will need to focus on.
If you are suffering from recurrent headaches, with little relief, or if you are tired of having to manage your migraines with medication, physical therapy might be an ideal component of your treatment. All you have to lose is pain.
If you have ever asked, “How do I get rid of my headache?” You need to be asking how soon can I see a physical therapist.
*Any time you have a headache that is unusual for you, please consult with a medical professional.
-FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides orthopedic physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills, and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of pain, movement disorders, and musculoskeletal dysfunction including headaches. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your health needs. If you are unsure about your pain, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/vestibular-migraines