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I Suffer From Migraines

Suffering From Frequent Migraines?

Have you been suffering from chronic migraines? Do others around you understand just how disabling and painful it is? Most migraine sufferers say that migraines have negatively impacted their work, social activities and relationships with family and friends. However, there is a solution to combat chronic migraines, which does not require medication or surgical intervention.

Whether you have suffered from chronic migraines of 20+ years, or whether an acute condition has recently developed, your first 6 sessions at Brisbane Headache and Migraine Clinics is all that it takes to notice a significant change towards your migraine condition.

Book an appointment today

Headache treatment

Understanding Their Differences

What Are Migraines?

Migraine is a condition that can negatively affect a sufferer’s life on many levels such as physical, mental and biosocial aspects. It is a condition with a range of neurobiological disorders. This condition often commences at puberty and mostly affects those aged between 35 and 45 years. It can however affect children and infants, as well as the elderly 1. According to the Migraine and Headache Australia Organisation, 4 out 5 with chronic migraineurs are mis-diagnosed or mis-treated in Australia. As there are approximately 300 different types of headache conditions, it is important that your migraine is correctly diagnosed in order to receive the appropriate treatment.

Migraine alone is the third most common disease in the world with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 14.7%. Research indicates approximately 1 in 7 people will suffer from a migraine 2. Due to the high prevalence, this condition is more common than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined 3. It is also more common in females and affects women three-times more than men 4. Reports indicate that for every 1 million people of the general population, there are 3,000 migraine attacks occurring everyday 5. This equates to approximately 78,000 migraine attacks everyday in Australia.

In Australia alone there is an estimated 4.9 million migraine sufferers 5,6 which is directly and indirectly
costing Australia $35.7 billion per annum 5.

If you suffer from migraines, it is important that you seek expert advice in order to receive the correct diagnosis and best treatment option.

A man experiencing a Migraine

Symptoms You May Experience

How to Define Your Migraine

  • Nausea & Vomiting
  • Aura
  • Blurred or distorted vision
  • Upset stomach
  • Sensitive to light, sound
    or smell
  • Constipation or Diarrhoea
  • Pins & needles in an arm or leg
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Poor memory
  • Disturbed concentration
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty sleeping

About The Assessment Stage

What To Expect During The Assessment


1. Comprehensive and in-depth examination

We instigate an in-depth assessment to identify all possible related factors that could be causing your headaches or migraines. The upper cervical spine, in particular, is thoroughly examined to identify possible issues.



2. Ligamental stability and vertebral arterial tests

We undertake careful examination of neck ligaments and vertebral arteries, ensuring only the highest standards of patient safety and comfort.


3. Temporarily reproduce your headache and migraine symptoms

As a part of the treatment process, we apply gentle and selective stress to the upper cervical spine in order to reproduce headache symptoms, which subside after 20-30 seconds. This helps to identify and treat the cause of your headaches.

Common Migraine Types

Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal Migraine consists of abdominal pain, as well as associated symptoms of vomiting nausea. It is a form of migraine that is sometimes described as a Recurrent Gastrointestinal Disturbance.

Hemiplegic Migraine

Hemiplegic migraines are associated with weakness, or even paralysis, on one side of the body. These symptoms can be quite alarming given their similarity to those of a stroke or epileptic seizure. Hemiplegic migraines often are associated with the more common migraine symptoms, like; aura, nausea or vomiting. Reported prevalence is very low, at 0.1%, however it is commonly mis-diagnosed and treated as epilepsy.

There is a familial link, with many sufferers of hemiplegic migraine also having a direct family member who also experiences the same symptoms. However, this is not always the case and cannot be used a predictive risk factor.

Given the difficulty in diagnosing this condition, a proper assessment is essential to get the right treatment!

Menstrual Headache

It is common for women in Brisbane to experience migraines with their menstrual cycle. 60% of women migraineurs regularly experience their symptoms with their menstrual cycle, and 14 % will exclusively experience them at this time. The symptoms are those of a classic migraine, or migraine with aura. Pain is often unilateral, and described a moderate to severe throbbing.

Despite the high prevalence of these types of headaches, there is minimal research that has suggested a link between hormone levels and menstrual migraines. Also, when hormone medication is used as a treatment, it very rarely has considerable levels of success.

In these cases, having your migraines thoroughly assessed is essential to have a good recovery.

Migraine Headache

Migraine headaches are the 6th most common health condition in the world. They are characterised by a moderate to severe, unilateral headache. As well as the headache, it is common for sufferers to experience symptoms like; nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smell, dizziness and aura. The severity of the pain and symptoms makes Migraine headache one of the most debilitating health conditions, accounting for thousands of days off work each year in Australia.

Migraines were initially though to be a caused by changes to the vascular symptom in the brain, however modern research suggests that this isn’t the case. Traditionally, doctors have used triptan medication to treat the symptoms of migraine headache, with mixed results. This may because these medications don’t target the true cause of your symptoms.

Why Clients Come To Us

Our Prevent Headaches4Life Plan

We only treat those headache and migraine sufferers who have gone through our unique assessment procedure, and who we determine is suitable for treatment – approximately 85-90% of those we assess. This approach ascertains a high likelihood of success.

Tools for managing migraines.