If you have ever experienced a migraine attack before, you understand that migraines are more than just a “really bad headache.” In fact, a migraine is a neurological condition with a wide range of symptoms, including debilitating headaches.
People who develop migraines tend to experience them more than once and might have a history of migraines in their families. People of all ages can get migraines, though they are more common in women. Migraines can start to impact your quality of life by keeping you from going about your day and participating in activities you enjoy. You might want to know more about your options for treating migraines.
If you are looking for a non-invasive treatment option, you may want to consider physical therapy for migraine attacks. A physical therapist can provide you with a number of techniques to help you better manage migraine symptoms and prevent future episodes. Here’s everything you need to know about physical therapy for migraines.
What a Migraine Feels Like
The first time you experience a migraine, you might not immediately realize what’s happening. Unlike a typical tension headache, migraines are a complex neurological episode that affects much more than just your head. A migraine attack can be incredibly disorienting because of the wide range of symptoms that often accompany forehead headache pain.
While a severe, throbbing headache is the hallmark sign of a migraine, many people also deal with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and extreme sensitivity to light, sound, or even smells. The pain often feels like a pulsing or pounding sensation deep within your head.
It may only occur on one side of the forehead or behind an eye, but in some cases, it can radiate across your entire head. For some people, the forehead pain is sharp and stabbing, while for others, it might present as a steady, relentless ache that builds in intensity over time.
Prodrome Phase
Migraine attacks don’t usually strike out of nowhere; instead, they tend to follow a series of stages. Symptoms can start to appear hours or even days before the headache actually begins during what’s known as the prodrome phase. During this early warning phase, you might notice subtle changes like food cravings, increased thirst, frequent yawning, neck stiffness, irritability, depression, or sudden bursts of energy. Paying attention to these early signs can sometimes help you intervene before the migraine becomes full-blown.
Migraine with Aura
Some people experience what’s called a migraine with aura, which adds an even more interesting set of symptoms to the mix. An aura can involve disturbances to your senses, like vision, speech, and touch. Visual auras might cause you to see bright flashing lights, shimmering spots, zigzagging lines, or temporary blind spots in your field of vision. Some people experience sensory changes like tingling or numbness in the hands, arms, face, or tongue. Others may have difficulty finding the right words or articulating clearly, as speech and language centers in the brain are temporarily affected.
Attack Phase
Once the attack phase begins, the pain and accompanying symptoms can be severe. In addition to the headache itself, you might feel dizzy, faint, nauseous, and extremely fatigued. Physical movement, bright lights, loud sounds, and strong smells often make the pain worse, so many people seek out a dark, quiet room to ride out the attack. A migraine attack can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours if left untreated, and the unpredictability of how long it will last only adds to the distress.
Postdrome Phase
Finally, after the most intense phase of the migraine passes, you may enter the postdrome phase, sometimes referred to as the “migraine hangover.” During this stage, you might continue to feel drained, confused, or moody for up to 24 hours. Some people describe feeling unusually elated or refreshed, while others feel exhausted and unable to concentrate. Even simple tasks can seem overwhelming as your brain recovers from the neurological storm.
Understanding the full range of what a migraine can feel like, from the earliest warning signs to the lingering postdrome, can help you recognize patterns in your own experiences. This awareness is important for getting the right diagnosis and finding effective treatments, such as physical therapy, that can help you better manage your migraine symptoms.
Causes & Triggers of a Migraine
There isn’t one specific cause of migraine attacks, though the condition does appear to have connections to abnormal brain activity, nerve signaling, and issues with hormones and blood vessels in the brain. People who experience frequent migraines will also start to notice a pattern of situations or other issues that might trigger a migraine attack.
Chemical Imbalances
Chemical imbalances in the brain, like a fluctuation in hormones, could trigger a migraine attack. Women experience hormone fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone during their menstruation cycle or with pregnancy or menopause. Certain medications can also lead to chemical imbalances that may trigger a migraine.
Bright Lights & Loud Sounds
Bright lights and loud sounds are common triggers that can affect people who get migraines. As your brain processes information from your eyes and ears, a miscommunication or missed connection between your nerves can lead to a migraine.
Extreme Weather
A really hot day could make you more susceptible to getting a migraine. Similarly, severe fluctuations in weather, like going from a bright and sunny day to a humid, stormy one, could impact you as the barometric pressure changes outside.
Dehydration
Your body needs enough water and nutrients to function properly. When you don’t get enough water to drink throughout the day, you can become dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration include headaches, nausea, and dizziness, which are similar symptoms to a migraine. However, people who get migraines can be at increased risk for an attack if they become dehydrated.
Increased Stress
An increase in stress in your daily life can also impact you physically. When you are stressed out mentally, it takes a toll on your body and can cause your muscles to tense up and nerves to misfire. Increased stress from a recent event or changes in your typical routines can trigger a migraine.
Intense Physical Activity
If you work out too hard, you might end up pushing your body to the limits. Intense physical activity can trigger a migraine attack, especially if you do not stay hydrated and give your body enough time to rest in between activities.
Sleep Pattern Changes
Not getting enough sleep each night can lead to more than just a bad mood the next day. Changes in your sleep patterns can also increase your chances of physical symptoms like a migraine. You can also trigger a migraine if you get too much sleep, like sleeping in on the weekends or while on vacation.
Smoking & Alcohol Use
Alcohol and nicotine can impact the health of your heart and lungs. When you smoke, your blood vessels constrict, and if this occurs in your brain, it can lead to altered brain activity. Drinking alcohol can also make you more prone to dehydration.
6 Ways Physical Therapy Can Help with Migraines
A migraine attack can impact your whole body, including your brain, central nervous system, peripheral nerves, and musculoskeletal system. That’s why the symptoms of a migraine range from neurological to pain and discomfort. Physical therapy targets your muscles and joints, which can have a positive impact on your brain and spinal cord, too. Here are six ways going to physical therapy can help you with migraines.
Ice & Heat
Applying ice and heat can make a significant difference for migraine sufferers. A cold compress applied to the forehead, neck, or temples can help numb the pain, constrict blood vessels, and reduce inflammation in the area. You may try using a cold compress during the height of a migraine attack to help dull any intense pain.
Meanwhile, heat therapy is useful for easing muscle tension that may contribute to the severity of your migraine symptoms. Using a warm compress on tight muscles around the neck and shoulders can promote blood flow and relaxation. Your physical therapist may also make recommendations on how to alternate between hot and cold therapies effectively, depending on your symptoms.
Additional techniques your physical therapist may recommend:
- Cold gel packs specifically designed for migraine relief
- Stretching with a warm towel before doing posture exercises
Soft Tissue Mobilization
Soft tissue mobilization refers to a variety of manual therapy techniques that target the muscles, ligaments, and fascia to reduce tension and promote healing. Migraines can often be linked to muscle tightness in the neck, shoulders, or even the upper back. These areas can become extra irritable, creating “trigger points” that send referred pain to the head. Over time, regular soft tissue mobilization can reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines by improving blood flow and decreasing nerve sensitivity.
Here are some examples of soft tissue mobilization with a physical therapist:
- Trigger point therapy to release muscle knots
- Myofascial release techniques to soften stiff areas
- Gentle sustained pressure to help break down scar tissue
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is one of the most relaxing aspects of physiotherapy for migraines. Regular therapeutic massages can ease physical and emotional stress, both of which are known migraine triggers. A targeted migraine massage may focus on the upper back, neck, shoulders, and head.
Specific benefits of massage therapy for migraine sufferers include:
- Decreased levels of cortisol (stress hormone)
- Release of tension from specific headache-prone areas
- Improved sleep quality and energy levels
Postural Correction
Poor posture puts a lot of strain on the body’s musculoskeletal system. Over time, bad posture, like slouching at your desk or craning your neck downward to look at your phone, can lead to tension headaches and migraines. By retraining your posture, you minimize additional strain on your cervical spine throughout the day, promote healthy nerve communication, and reduce one of the lesser-known migraine triggers.
Physical therapy interventions for postural correction can include:
- Stretching exercises to help open up the chest and relieve tightness across the upper back
- Ergonomic assessments for your workspace or home environment
- Strengthening exercises for the deep neck flexors, scapular stabilizers, and core muscles
Vestibular Therapy
For people who experience migraines with dizziness, vertigo, or a feeling of unsteadiness, vestibular therapy can offer significant improvements. Vestibular therapy focuses on the inner ear and balance systems, helping rewire how your brain processes spatial awareness and movement. By strengthening these pathways, vestibular therapy can dramatically reduce dizziness and balance issues associated with migraines, so you can experience a more stable and predictable recovery after each attack.
Vestibular therapy might involve:
- Gaze stabilization exercises, like tracking moving targets while keeping your head still
- Balance retraining activities, like standing on unstable surfaces with supervision
- Habituation exercises to desensitize the brain to motion stimuli
Stretches & Exercises
Targeted stretching and strengthening exercises are a cornerstone of physical therapy treatment for migraines. Your physical therapist will design a personalized exercise program that addresses your specific needs, such as tight neck muscles, weak upper back muscles, or a stiff thoracic spine.
Common exercises might include:
- Neck stretches to improve flexibility and range of motion
- Chin tuck exercises to strengthen neck stabilizers
- Shoulder blade squeezes to reinforce postural alignment
- Gentle yoga poses, like child’s pose or cat-cow stretches, to encourage spinal mobility
Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can lead to fewer migraine episodes, reduced severity when they do occur, and faster recovery times. Plus, having a “migraine emergency stretch routine” at home can be invaluable when you feel an attack coming on.
Comprehensive Care at AICA Orthopedics
Visit AICA Orthopedics in Conyers today to get started on physiotherapy for migraine relief. Our physical therapists work alongside neurologists, orthopedic doctors, and chiropractors to provide you with comprehensive treatment and care. You will receive a thorough examination, diagnosis, and treatment plan that addresses your specific symptoms and needs. You can start noticing differences after a few days of targeted physical therapy at AICA Orthopedics in Conyers. Our on-site physical therapy services cover a wide range of musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, including migraine headaches. Contact us to learn more and schedule your initial consultation at AICA Orthopedics in Conyers today.