Migraine Awareness Week 2021

Posted on: September 6, 2021

Migraine Awareness Week 2021

5th – 11th September 2021

Are you a sufferer of migraines or headaches?

Migraines are currently the third most common disease in the world. An estimated 1 in 7 of us in the UK suffer from migraines, with a massive 23% of the adult population suffering either from migraines or other headache disorders. Although migraines are not life-threatening and do not shorten people’s life expectancies, they can have an impact on both your work life and personal life and significantly damage the quality of people’s lives.

 

What are the common symptoms of a migraine?

The main symptom of a migraine is usually an intense headache on 1 side of the head. The pain is usually a moderate or severe throbbing sensation that gets worse when you move and prevents you carrying out normal activities. In some cases, the pain can occur on both sides of your head and may affect your face or neck. The symptoms of a migraine usually last between 4 hours and 3 days, although you may feel very tired for up to a week afterwards.

Other symptoms commonly associated with a migraine include:

• Feeling sick
• Being sick
• Increased sensitivity to light and sound, which is why many people with a migraine want to rest in a quiet, dark room

Some people also occasionally experience other rare symptoms, including:

• Sweating
• Poor concentration,
• Feeling very hot or very cold
• Tummy (abdominal) pain
• Diarrhoea

(Not everyone with a migraine experiences these additional symptoms and some people may experience them without having a headache).

 

What are the causes of migraines?

We do not know the exact cause of migraine however researchers believe there are a number of reasons, including genetics. Migraines tend to run in families and women are about three times as likely to experience migraines than men. This is thought to be largely due to hormonal factors.

Other causes for migraines or severe headaches can include Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. This is a problem affecting the ‘chewing’ muscles and the joints between the lower jaw and the base of the skull. Issues with these muscles can stem from other medical issues such as bruxism (persistent tooth grinding, particularly at night).

Other triggers for headaches and migraines include;

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Excitement
• Shock
• Lack of sleep/irregular sleep
• Strenuous exercise
• Tension in the neck and shoulders
• Eye strain
• Certain dietary items i.e. caffeine or alcohol
• Bright lights

 

What can we do to treat migraines and headaches?

At DrBK, we offer effective treatments through a combination of techniques. During your consultation, we will look to first identify the causing factor for your headaches/migraines, by looking at your teeth, how you bite and also the muscles around the jaw, neck and shoulders.

If the cause of your headaches/migraines stems from TMD issues (issues with the chewing muscles and/or persistent tooth grinding), you will be given a custom-made BK splint to tackle the root of the problem. This is a clear mouthguard (newly designed by Dr Khanna for our most effective results yet) that you would wear every night. This not only protects your teeth from future grinding, but also is designed to help relieve your symptoms.

We also offer an injectable treatment for those suffering with headaches, migraines and/or TMD issues. This involves targeting the over-worked muscles, to relieve the tension and subsequent pain.

Through this holistic approach, we are able to not only target the over-worked muscles to relieve your pain, but also correct the long-term issue by determining and correcting any contributing dental issues.

 

Hear from patients of ours who have benefitted from this treatment!

Think you could benefit from this treatment? Contact us today!