Nearly three out of four migraine patients reported lower pain and less need for medication following chiropractic therapy.
Dr. Peter Tuchin, a chiropractor for two decades, decided later in life to get a PhD. For his doctoral dissertation at Macquarie University in Australia, he conducted a randomized clinical trial – looking for evidence of the role chiropractic can play in migraine relief.
Substantial improvement
One of the most shocking findings of the 2005 study did not initially appear that impressive. One in five migraine sufferers (22%) said that their improvement was substantial – which meant that the severity of pain and other symptoms (nausea, migraine aura, etc.) dropped by greater than 60%. Dr. Tuchin was delighted with this result because the patients he chose to study were especially chronic: they had been experiencing migraine for an average of 18 years.
Noticeable improvement
In addition to that 22% group, fully half of participants (50%) said they experienced a positive result that was noticeable. Many in this group found that chiropractic was making them less reliant on headache medication. That’s critical, says Dr. Tuchin, because many painkillers have side-effects. Most disturbingly, “[s]ome of the migraine medications … have the problem of giving instant relief to the migraine, but creating another ‘rebound migraine’ the next day.”
Design of the migraine headache trial
The clinical trial devised by Dr. Tuchin looked at the impact on 123 migraineurs – who were carefully selected from more than 900 applicants. The pool of patients was split into two groups – one to be treated with chiropractic and the other a control group (to receive placebo treatments).
Everyone in the study, in both groups, kept detailed migraine diaries for six months. All they did for the first 60 days was write down times and descriptions of their migraines, along with any potential triggers. Then they were given their designated treatments for 60 days. The final 60 days was used to determine the extent to which the therapy had been effective.
Dr. Tuchin admits that chiropractic is not the only way to reduce migraine symptoms. However, he says, “for a good percentage of migraine sufferers the neck is a significant contributing factor, and for them chiropractic treatment is really effective.”
Low force chiropractic
Are you among the 12% of Americans who suffer from migraine? At Atlanta Medical Clinic, we use the most up-to-date chiropractic technique available, a method that was actually created for scientific research: low force chiropractic. Get help today.