42560 Van Dyke Avenue, Sterling Heights, MI 48314

The Rare Case of Basilar Migraine: What You Need To Know

basilar migraine, migraine relief in Sterling Heights

Migraine is a debilitating condition. It might be difficult to discern if you’re having mild or severe attacks, especially if you’re new to this painful world of migraines. You see, finding proper migraine relief in Sterling Heights is only challenging when you don’t know exactly where it’s coming from. Getting a proper diagnosis is vital to help manage your symptoms. Understanding the type of migraine you have can lead you to better remedy options that can work.

 

Different types of migraines

#1. Abdominal Migraines

This type of migraine is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It is common in children and adults and can cause significant abdominal discomfort for 1 to 72 hours.

#2. Hemiplegic Migraines

This rare migraine type can cause temporary paralysis on one side of the body or your face. If you suffer from this type, you may also experience an aura or visual disturbances that can linger for days, weeks, or even longer. To ensure you’ll get migraine relief in Sterling Heights that works, keep track of your symptoms before you visit your doctor to help them assess you better.

#3. Migraine with Aura

Episodes of aura can happen before the migraine, often involving visual disturbances, speech problems, and other sensory issues. Some of the sensory problems may also occur during the migraine attack.

#4. Ocular Migraines

Also called retinal migraines, ocular migraines’ primary symptoms are usually visual. However, this type can happen without the most common migraine symptom - a headache. Some visual symptoms of this type may include temporary blindness, partial loss of vision, or you might see twinkling lights.

#5. Basilar Migraines

This is also a rare type of migraine, which is also called migraine with brainstem aura (MBA). If you have this type, you may experience visual disturbances such as blurred vision or temporary vision loss. For this article, we’ll focus more on this type as this can usually confuse people as it can mimic a hemiplegic migraine and migraine with a typical aura. This type also only affects about 1.5% of people who experience headaches.

Basilar migraine can potentially be more disabling than migraine without aura and with aura. This type’s increased severity and symptoms sometimes linger for longer periods than others. Understanding your symptoms and triggers can help you get to the root cause of your episodes.

 

Symptoms of Basilar Migraines

If you suffer from this type of migraine, you may notice the following symptoms:

  • Visual disturbances may include the following:
    • Temporary blindness
    • Seeing double
    • Graying vision
    • Seeing static or zigzagging lights
    • Seeing spots or stars
  • Hearing loss
  • Tinnitus
  • Tingling feeling
  • Numbness in the face, head, and hands
  • Dizziness
  • Feeling off balance
  • Confusion
  • Slurred speech and other speech problems

 

Triggers of Basilar Migraines

The primary cause of basilar migraine is not entirely known. Instead, you can familiarize yourself with basilar migraine triggers and intentionally avoid them to help prevent or reduce your migraine episodes. When you get frequent attacks, you may also want to start a migraine diary and take note of the foods you eat or activities you do before a migraine attack. This can show you a pattern that reveals your triggers. Watch out for these possible basilar migraine triggers:

  • Fluctuating hormones
  • Weather changes or altitude
  • Bright or flashing lights
  • Lack of sleep or fatigue
  • Physical or emotional stress
  • Overexertion
  • Certain medication side effects
  • Skipping meals resulting in low blood sugar
  • Certain foods with caffeine, nitrates, or alcohol
  • Certain medication side effects
  • Environmental factors

 

Lifestyle changes to help manage migraine

  • Get a restful 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
  • At the onset of your migraine symptoms, stop what you’re doing and stay in a dark room with minimal interruption. You may also try putting an ice pack on the back of your neck. These can prevent severe symptoms.
  • When you feel migraine symptoms coming, relax and take a break, this can help prevent your migraine from getting worse once it happens.
  • Avoid or eat and drink less of foods and beverages that trigger your migraine. When you have identified your food and drinks trigger, it’s better to cut down or avoid them altogether.

 

Getting Basilar Migraine relief in Sterling Heights

Basilar migraine usually begins in your brainstem. The brainstem is located right at the top of the neck where your skull ends, linking the brain to the spinal cord. You typically get disabling headaches due to the disturbance in your brainstem function. Fortunately, correcting the cause of the disruption in your brainstem can lead to overall migraine relief.

Upper cervical chiropractic care is non-invasive and natural chiropractic care that successfully manages basilar and other migraine types. Your migraines can sometimes stem from a misalignment of your bones, particularly the upper cervical spine. If your C1 or C2 vertebrae in the neck area shift out of alignment, your brainstem endures excessive stress and pressure, leading to migraines.

 

Call a Trusted Chiropractic Doctor in Sterling Heights

If you’ve been experiencing bouts of migraine and have tried other relief options and lifestyle changes, perhaps it’s time to get your spine alignment checked, particularly your upper cervical spine.

Transcendence Family Wellness Center is a trusted center for upper cervical care located in Van Dyke Avenue, Sterling Heights. Dr. Josh Henk is a professional upper cervical chiropractic doctor who can help correct your spine misalignment to let your body heal and manage your migraine symptoms. He uses a safe and gentle technique to realign and balance your spine for your body to heal naturally. When your body slowly regains its normal function without interference, you notice your symptoms becoming less until they eventually disappear.

To get lasting migraine relief in Sterling Heights in a natural and non-invasive way, call us today and book your schedule via (586) 943-0584 or use our online contact form.

 

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Henk, call our Sterling Heights office at 586-785-5894. You can also click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.

Ready to transcend?

Our transcending approach is to find and correct the underlying cause of your condition, not just treat your symptoms.
Office Hours
Tuesday
9:00am - 6:00pm
Wednesday
9:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday
9:00am - 6:00pm
Friday
9:00am - 2:00pm
Saturday
9:00am - 2:00pm
Sun/Mon
Appointment Only
chevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram Skip to content