I don't want to live a life in pain

When Eloise Hayford began suffering from migraines at 14 years of age, her mother thought she would grow out of them. But quite quickly Eloise’s mother could see how they were affecting her daughter’s school attendance and performance. Not only that but her mood and motivation dropped. Eloise used to enjoy playing netball with her friends but with migraines attacking her, she wasn’t able to enjoy playing the game she used to love.
Skip forward to Eloise’s university years and the same pattern remained only now the stress of assignments and exams were affecting Eloise…they were making her migraines worse. University was supposed to be a time for enjoyment, exploring, travel and socializing but instead her time was clouded by migraines.

Eloise graduated from university and it was time to enter the work force but even her job choice was affected by her migraines. Stress was clearly a trigger for Eloise so a stressful job would likely set off migraine attacks leaving her in pain and needing to call in sick frequently. Even though Eloise chose a job that she thought would be better suited for her, her wallet often took a hit. She still needed to take sick days and pay for medications to battle her condition.

Eloise has confessed to her friends that making plans is hard for her because “I never know when a migraine is going to hit and when it does I just can’t do anything.” Vacations, catch up with friends, work drinks, date nights, family dinners have all been postponed or missed all because of migraines.

Eloise is now 54 and is tired of constantly struggling with her migraines. She has tried medications when she got a migraine (e.g. relpax, wafers), preventative medications, physiotherapy and chiropractics but none of it has made any real impact in Eloise’s life. She feels controlled by her migraines and fearful of the next attack. She feels like she has tried everything under the sun but nothing has helped so what else can she do?

Eloise’s story is a very common tale. Many people have suffered for decades without relief, feeling ruled by their pain, missing out on important interactions with their loved ones. This doesn’t need to be the case.

What Eloise didn’t know when she tried manual therapy in the past was that not all manual therapy techniques are the same. Traditional manual therapy techniques utilized by osteos, physios and chiros were created for neck pain, not headaches and migraines. But there is an approach that was researched and designed specifically for headaches and migraines called the Watson Headache ® Approach. It is widely acknowledged that there is an underlying disorder in headaches and migraines called brainstem sensitization and due to its location, it can be caused by dysfunctions in the upper neck. The Watson Headache ® Approach is unique in that it is the only form of manual therapy that can address the cause of headaches and migraines (the neck dysfunctions) as well as the underlying dysfunction (brainstem sensitization). This is also exciting because unlike medication which only works to treat the symptoms, this approach works to treat the cause of headaches and migraines for long term results.

When Eloise heard about the approach she was excited to try something new. Anything to help get rid of her migraines. 3 months later and Eloise is completely migraine free. She is back to feeling like herself again, free from the burden of her pain. She can make plans again knowing she will be able to stick to them and focus on the important things in life.

Many people suffer like Eloise however there is a different way. If you want to try a different approach, come and get your neck assessed today.