Why Do My Migraines Get Worse with Weather Changes

Migraine sufferers commonly complain of worsening symptoms based on weather patterns. Many doctors and headache specialists will say the reason for this is unknown or that it’s simply coincidence. In fact, there is a logical reason why your migraines get worse when the weather changes.

Heavy Head

Think about this, your head weighs around eight pounds. As you go through your day, the joints in your neck get tired, inflamed and sore bearing this weight. The inflamed joints put pressure on the nerves in your neck. That pain travels up and causes you to have a severe headache beginning around 2:00 pm. As you try to push through and finish your work day, the inflammation and pain continue to worsen until it becomes a full-blown migraine.

Barometric Pressure

Joints in the human body are filled with liquid and surrounded by a joint capsule that contains that liquid. Your neck contains 14 such joints in a fairly small area. Based on weather research, low barometric pressure causes this liquid to expand – putting pressure on the joints and the nerves associated with them.

As a storm approaches, the barometric pressure drops causing the liquid in your neck joints to expand. The pressure that creates on your nerves leads to nerve inflammation. This pain travels up and causes a migraine. For people already susceptible to migraines, the added inflammation due to the drop in barometric pressure worsens an already painful situation.

The Solution to Weather Induced Migraines

As with nearly all migraine pain, the solution to weather induced migraines lies in your neck. At Texas Migraine Clinic, we work with you to correct the underlying neck problems that worsen and cascade pain upward into your head when the weather changes. Our unique, very personalized System can be learned in person in our clinic, or remotely via webcam or a combination of both in-clinic and remote webcam. Many patients find this webcam option convenient because you can interact with Dr. Turner from anywhere. The majority of our patients see results immediately during their initial evaluation, then a rapid, steady decrease in migraines. In fact, at 6 weeks, patients who adhere to our System average a 93% decrease in frequency of migraines. And it gets better from there as the neck structures and nerves calm down. End your weather induced migraine pain. Contact us to get started.