Articles

by Tracy Laval, BFA, RMT, CST-T, DOMP

INTRODUCTION

     It’s 7:30 am Monday morning. Julia wakes up with an aching pain in her jaw and her neck is stiff. It’s hard to get out of bed knowing she has another day of pain ahead of her. This has been happening for years. The pain ebbs and flows in intensity but it never goes away.

     She skips the bagel for breakfast,as much as she wants to eat it. She decides that it’s not worth the pain. The chewy bread sends electrical shocks of pain in her ear, cheek and jaw. Instead she sticks to soft foods like yogurt. At lunch she leaves the carrots and nuts on her plate for the same reason. Almonds were once her favorite food. Julia is frustrated with the constant pain and has begun feeling limited in her food choices.

by Erin Riley Cst-D, PT 

 Migraines in Society

     Migraine headaches are a complex and debilitating issue. It is estimated that up to three quarters of adults worldwide have had a headache in the past year and among these individuals 30% or more have reported migraine.¹ The intensity of migraine pain and the frequency with which they occur can be severely distressing for the patient as well as have a huge impact on their ability to function, let alone thrive in their lives. According to the MigraineTrust.org, Migraine headache is the third most common disease in the world (behind dental caries and tension-type headaches). It is estimated that approximately 1 in 7 people suffer from migraine which makes migraine more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined. Migraine is ranked globally as the seventh most disabling disease amongst all diseases and the leading cause of disability among all neurological disorders.^1,2