Vestibular Migraine Relief in Wake Forest, NC

What is Vestibular Migraine?

Vestibular migraine is a frequent cause of dizziness characterized by episodes of vertigo and/or disequilibrium lasting minutes to days, with associated migraine headaches or migraine prodromal symptoms.

The cause–effect relationships of vestibular dysfunction and migraines may vary from patient to patient. Meaning, what “sensitizes” one person’s system varies between each and every individual. However, there are some similarities associated with patients suffering from vestibular migraine.

Many patients have:

1. Dysregulated response to peripheral stimuli

   • This means that the visual – vestibular system can be overwhelmed if stimulated too much.

   • Think of motion sickness during a car ride or even a roller coaster. That would be an example of too much stimulus that your system cannot compensate and handle. But instead of an activity as extreme as that example, it could happen going to the grocery store, looking at a busy refrigerator or even turning the head too fast.

2. Dietary triggers

   • This opens up an entire discussion of what triggers chemically —- via food or fluid — can sensitive your system.

   • However, common triggers can be dairy, gluten and caffeine.

What can I do to get relief?

Many patients typically need some type of medication as prescribed by their physician, such as triptans, to abort an active symptoms. Prophylactic treatment relies on a monotherapy or combination of antidepressants, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and/or antiepileptics. We recommend consulting with your physician for medical management.

To respond to #2 above, we work with many dieticians and nutritionists in our area to help determine your triggers. We do discuss this in our office during our treatments and this could be enough for us to help you in this regard, but for complicated cases, we always recommend a consultation at least with an expert in this field.

To respond to #1 above, this can be addressed by vestibular rehabilitation. This is our “bread and butter” if you want to call it that.

What other factors influence relief if you have Vestibular Migraine?

A recent study found that the following factors can impact response to Vestibular Migraine treatment:

1. Female gender

2. The presence of oscillopsia

3. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

4. Neck Pain or Cervicalgia

Now we cannot change your gender, but we can address :

1. Oscillopsia by rehabilitating your vestibulo-vestibular sensitivity

2. BPPV with canalith repositioning procedures

3. Neck Pain or Cervicalgia with manual therapy and exercise

If you are suffering from Vestibular Migraine, contact us to see how we can help provide you a comprehensive program for your neck and vestibular system.