If you’re one of the 36 million Americans that experience migraines, you know that a migraine can bring your day to a grinding halt. Migraines are severe, painful, and often debilitating headaches.
There’s currently no cure for migraine. While there are both prescription and over-the-counter medications available to help alleviate a migraine, they can cause side effects and aren’t effective for everyone. As a result, treatments like dry needling can serve as a natural solution for migraine pain.
Understanding Dry Needling
Dry needling is different from acupuncture, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine. In contrast, dry needling is rooted in neuro-anatomy and the science of the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems.
During dry needling, a fine filament needle is inserted into trigger points, which are found in the deep tissues beneath the skin. This process creates a microlesion in the tissue, which breaks up the shortened tissues and stimulates a reflex arc from the nervous system to the tissue.
Ultimately, dry needling regulates the inflammatory response in the treatment area and supports the body’s natural healing process. This can reduce pain from a broad range of conditions, including migraines.
Dry Needling for Migraines
Migraines are more severe than regular headaches. With a migraine, you may experience throbbing pain, blurred vision, flashing lights, and even nausea or vomiting. Currently, it’s thought that migraines are caused by overactive nerve signals.
Dry needling can help relieve migraine pain by releasing tension in trigger points in the upper back. These trigger points often contribute to severe pain in the head during a migraine. By relieving tension, dry needling can prevent migraines before they occur.
At the Rubin Health Center, we offer dry needling to break the pain cycle of various injuries and conditions, including migraines. To learn more about how dry needling can help you overcome migraine pain, schedule an appointment with us today!