Allison– A Teen with Severe, Chronic Migraines

“Allison’s” mom made her an appointment to see me when she was 15, because she was having awful migraines. They had been going on for three years (!) and were only getting worse.

At the time she came in, she was getting a migraine 2-3 times per month, with severe pain, vomiting, visual disturbances, and numbness in her hand and face. In addition, she was having other less severe headaches on a regular basis.

Allison had already gotten CT scans and been referred to a neurologist, and was taking Tylenol to help her deal with the pain. She was also experiencing several other stress-related symptoms. This is a lot for any teen to contend with, in addition to everything else they have going on at this stage!

When I did Allison’s intake, I asked about any head or spine injuries she could remember. She did have a couple, including a blow to the top of her head and a tailbone injury from a fall. Evaluating her body, it was clear that she had a serious misalignment at the top of her cervical spine (neck). When I asked her to hold her head straight, she would tilt it to the right. The structures in her head and neck (and further throughout her body) were organized around this position, creating so much strain and affecting the nerves and circulation in her head. I worked with her gently to release the restrictions between her spine and skull, and did fascial releases throughout her body to help her body to more broadly reorganize around the corrected head position. I also helped realign some of her cranial bones that were more directly related to this pattern.

When Allison came back a month later, she was happy to report that she had not had any migraines! She did have several regular headaches, and each time I saw her (5 visits in total over three months) she continually reported NO migraines, and a continuous lessening and shortening of the regular headaches. At her last appointment, she said she had only had two minor headaches that lasted 30 minute each that month. In addition to this, a number of other symptoms had also resolved, including her jaw pain and popping.

Allison’s mom reached out to me this week to let me know that she has still not had another migraine, over two years later! I am just so thrilled that I could help. The issue was definitely a mechanical one, and helping her into better alignment made all of the difference for her migraines, as well letting her body find more balance to help resolve the other symptoms she was having. Sometimes these things are pretty simple, and the younger the person is when we can help, the less complex they become. I asked Allison and her mom if I could share this story because I know that there are so many families that have kids who are suffering from migraines or complex headaches, and don’t know of many options beyond medications– which are definitely tricky to introduce safely at young ages or during the hormonal shifts of adolescence, and may not actually fix the cause of the issue.

Her story is so uplifting, and offers a new perspective. I always share these stories with the intention of conveying hope and encouraging anyone who reads them to seek the help they (or their kids) deserve.