How to Get Migraine Relief at Home

If you’re looking to achieve migraine relief at home, these 3 exercises can be extremely helpful in restoring your sanity.

• Levator Scapulae stretch
• Trapezius stretch
• Trap fiber massage

Are You a Migraine Sufferer?

If you’ve found yourself in a dark room for hours during an otherwise normal day, you may suffer with migraines. Furthermore, if you have a pounding headache that seems to never end and ruins your work day, you may struggle with migraine headaches. Finally, if you’ve been told things like, “just sleep it off”, or “stop stressing so much”, and these comments irritate you because it’s not just a normal headache, then you likely have migraines.

Why Do Some Get Migraines, While Others Don’t?

Migraine headaches don’t impact everyone, however, the lucky few that do struggle with them often have some similarities. There’s some literature that shows a genetic link and this may be the case. However, there’s also strong evidence pointing to the environment of the migraine sufferer. How the person lives often dictates if they’ll trigger a migraine or not.

What we often see clinically if you’ve been lucky enough to have a genetic predisposition to migraines, you’ll always have the chance to trigger one. However, if you’re living a very healthy lifestyle, it’s less likely one will occur.

The 5 Components of a Migraine

We’ve identified 5 basic requirements the human body should be getting in order to be healthy:

• Power – healthy functioning nervous system
• Nutrition – good food and resources for the body to heal and build strong cells
• Exercise – healthy stress to keep cells and organs in top shape
• Sleep – the only time the nervous system, heart, and muscles have to recover
• Emotional Wellbeing – fulfillment and social connection are critical in overall health

If a person isn’t fulfilling each of these basic requirements regularly, they’re predisposed to many health conditions. Further, if they’re a migraine sufferer, they’ll often trigger one by not getting each of the five components in enough quantity. However, on the positive side, if a person begins to implement these requirements on a very regular basis, they’ll likely see their migraine frequency and intensity improve.

How You Can Get Relief From Migraines at Home

While the above requirements aren’t always easy to or fast to implement, they do work. However, in the meantime, you’ll likely want something to do so you can get relief from migraines at home, fast!

Here are three exercises to help you begin doing that:

Levator Scapulae Stretch

1. The levator scapulae is a slender muscle that originates at the uppermost four neck vertebrae, called C1-C4. It also attaches to the upper corner of your shoulder blade. Its job is to elevate the shoulder blade, hence its name. In a migraine sufferer, this muscle is often chronically tight. It’s so used to being engaged and shrugging the shoulders up, as a result of the person’s stressed lifestyle, that it never gets a chance to relax. As a result of being engaged, it creates tense, tight tissue where it attaches, along the upper corner of the shoulder blade and along the outside of the first four vertebrae in your neck. Simply take your fingers and begin to dig into this muscle to begin getting migraine relief at home.

Trapezius Muscle Stretch

2. The trapezius muscle runs from the back of your skull to the outside of your upper back/shoulders, and then down in between your shoulder blades. It has the appearance of a diamond. One thing it’s responsible for is keeping your head back over your shoulders. However, if you’re stressed or looking at a screen or device too long the trapezius muscle will begin to get irritated. As it tightens up, it can impact blood flow, movement of your neck, and also neurology in the area. All of these are possible triggers for a migraine sufferer.

To stretch the trapezius, bend your right ear towards your right shoulder. Then take your right hand, place it over your head and gently grab the left side of your head. Pull your head further to the right. Hold the position and breathe. If you want an even deeper stretch, you can gently bend your head down toward your right armpit. After performing on the right side, switch to the left.

Trap Fiber Massage

3. The final exercise requires you to find where the trap fibers insert along the bottom of your skull. There’s a ridge called the superior nuchal line. Once you locate this area, begin palpating and feeling for tight, tender spots. Once you’ve found one, begin to massage until it becomes less sensitive. This may take a few minutes and it could take longer. The trapezius muscle ties in here, and if it’s tight, you’ll likely have tension here. Loosening this area will help in a lot of ways but is typically a hot spot for a migraine sufferer.

Next Steps for Someone Looking For Migraine Relief At Home

Try these exercises out the next time you’re searching for relief from migraines at home. However, if the pain continues, it’s possible you have a core problem in your spine that’s holding you back from lasting relief. In these situations, it may not be possible to get relief from migraines at home. You may need to search out a specialist to help you get lasting relief from deeper core problems. When you’re ready to get to one of the root problems that holds many migraine sufferers back, go here and schedule your Neuro-Structural evaluation at Prime Chiropractic in Centennial, CO.