NUCCA for Migraines & Headaches

What are Migraines?

Migraines can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually just on one side of the head. It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

Additional Symptoms of Chronic Migraine:

• Moderate to severe pain, usually confined to one side of the head, but can occur on either side of the head
• Severe, throbbing, pulsing pain
• Increased pain during physical activity or when straining
• Feeling nauseous or sick, sometimes including vomiting
• Increased sensitivity to light and sound, often relieved only by lying quietly in a darkened room
• Inability to perform regular activities due to pain
• Less commonly: vestibular and balance dysfunction, sweating, temperature changes, stomach ache, and diarrhea

Other Common Types of Headaches

Tension headaches cause tightness or pressure around your forehead or on the back of your head and neck and most commonly affect adults. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a few days.

Cervicogenic headaches are caused by referred pain from the bones, muscles, and joints in the head (occiput) and neck. These headaches are usually accompanied by neck and shoulder pain, and can be felt on one side of the head and face, and can often refer to the forehead and over one eye.

Post-concussion headaches are caused by changes in the head and neck after a trauma. Such headaches are usually accompanied by additional post-concussion symptoms including dizziness, brain fog, light sensitivity or fatigue. These can often self-resolve, though can often last beyond one month following a concussion.

How does NUCCA Help?

A Brain-Based Approach from a Headache Specialist

The Head & Neck

The basic background of the head and neck junction is essential to understand. The lower 2/3 of your neck is fairly stable, but the upper 1/3 of your neck is far more mobile and complex. This top region, the cranio-cervical junction, has major influence on brain communication, as it is the location where almost all brain signals pass through to the rest of the body.

Old Injuries

When you have any type of injury, even if it's a minor fall or accident from years ago, it can cause damage to the ligaments, the "glue" that support your neck alignment. If this occurs, your head and neck can become slightly misaligned as shown in the picture below. This causes 3 main problems:

1. When the top two bones in the spine misalign, the fluid that flows between your brain and body doesn't flow smoothly (both the blood, and cerebrospinal fluid). The twisted pathway is similar to a river frothing around a curve, and causes inflammation. This can lead to headache and brain fog, among many other symptoms.
2. The muscles become imbalanced, affecting signals from the muscles back to the brain. The suboccipital muscles (right where your head meets your neck) supporting your neck become most imbalanced, causing chronic pain or tension at the base of your skull.
3. The imbalance causes further neck stiffness and pain. Inflammation and irritation near the brain stem can interfere with the information signaling between your brain and body, so the body remains imbalanced until a specific correction is obtained.

Headache Exam

A specific exam from a NUCCA headache specialist can tell you whether this type of misalignment is contributing to your headaches. Treatment of the misalignment will:

• Improve blood flow between the brain and body
• Improve brain-body balance and communication to decrease pain
• Balance muscle tone

I started with Dr. Julia back in March of this year (2020) because I had these weird debilitating headaches that would randomly be triggered and once I got it, it was hard to function at all and Tylenol worked less and less when I would take it. I must say after going through her recommended x-rays, frequency of adjustments and so forth the amount of headaches and their intensity has definitely decreased!

I went from having a headache about twice a month (that would last up to 2 days) to now having it infrequently enough that I do not really notice them as much and when I do get them they are bearable for me. I can still function IF I get it.

Also, I notice my dizziness I used to have has pretty much disappeared and a beeping/buzzing sound in my ear I would get on and off. I have not had those anymore. I used to have this dull shoulder pain in my right side that would feel tight especially when I had an anxiety attack, it has not bothered me anymore even when I get anxious. My muscles in general feel stronger and I was told I had muscle atrophy for years. I believe that this NUCCA treatment has definitely played a role in helping with these symptoms.