Migraines are a type of headache that may occur with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light. In many people, the throbbing pain is felt only on one side of the head.
People who get migraines have warning symptoms before the actual headache begins. An aura is a group of symptoms, including vision disturbances, that are a warning sign that a bad headache is coming.
Causes Of Migraines
A migraine is caused by abnormal brain activity, which can be triggered by a number of factors like alcohol, stress and anxiety, certain odors or perfumes, loud noises or bright lights, and smoking. Migraine attacks may also be triggered by:
- Caffeine withdrawal
- Changes in hormone levels during a woman’s menstrual cycle or with the use of birth control pills
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Exercise or other physical stress
- Missed meals
- Smoking or exposure to smoke
- Certain foods and artificial sweeteners
Most Migraines Are Due To Myofascial Pain
[pullquote]More than 90% of headaches can be attributed to myofascial pain condition.[/pullquote]
We are taught to believe that there are many kinds of headaches. Tension, sinus, cluster, migraine, and temporomandibular joint pain or TMJ are among the most frequently diagnosed.
For many years, the myofascial pain professional community has recognized that more than 90% of all these headaches occur because of an underlying myofascial pain condition caused by injury to the muscle and fascia of the head, neck, and upper shoulders.
Understanding Myofascial Pain Of The Head
Myofascial trigger points in the muscles of the scalp, jaw, neck, shoulders, and upper back refer pain to the head and the face. Trigger point in the sternocleidomastoid muscle, for example, can cause pain in the forehead, sinus, ear, and back of the head.
[pullquote]Trigger points in the muscles of the shoulders and the upper back can also refer pain to your head.[/pullquote]
[pullquote]Myofascial trigger points under the back of the skull causes both tension and migraine headaches.[/pullquote]
Myofascial trigger points in the muscles under the back of the skull radiate pain to the back of the head and around to the forehead. These trigger points cause tension headache and migraine headache.
The pain is actually caused by the knots in the muscles that are called myofascial trigger points. We know this because when the knots are made smaller, the pain is less. When the knots are made to go away, the pain is gone.
After life-threatening causes for the headache have been investigated by family physicians and neurologists, these patients need an individualized comprehensive holistic treatment program.
