Overcome Migraine & Headache Pain Without Drugs

Adhesions from the shoulders, back or tailbone can extend into the neck and head, causing pain at the cranial base.

A migraine headache is often severe, lasting from a few hours to several days. The associated pain can be pulsating or throbbing on either or both sides of the head. The headache is sometimes accompanied by visual disturbances, sensitivity to light or sound, or digestive symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

We generally have excellent results in finding and treating the cause of migraine headache pain- which we have successfully treated for over 23 years. In most cases, we found that soft tissue tightness at the base of the skull, at one or both temples or eyes, or at the top of the head was the direct cause, or a major contributor to a migraine headache. In addition, we often traced this tightness to areas significantly below the skull (e.g., neck, shoulders, back, surgical scars, or even the tailbone). These areas can exert significant pressure on attachments at or within the cranium. When we find and treat the entire pattern of tissue tightness, the pain relief is generally straightforward, and permanent.

The spinal cord is the major column of nerves that connects the brain to the lower body. Protected by the vertebral canal, it contains nerves that branch out to the neck, shoulders and arms, chest, low back, sacrum, legs and coccyx. The spinal cord transmits impulses to and from the brain from these distant locations. Thus, it is the major structural and neurological element that joins the brain to the lower body.

The spinal cord enters the base of the skull through a hole called the foramen magnum - an opening about the size of a silver dollar. Numerous additional holes (foramina) in the base of the skull create passages for major blood vessels and important nerves, including the nerves of the head, to enter and exit the skull. Along with the spinal cord, the nerves and blood vessels that enter the skull must have free, unrestricted mobility in order to allow blood and nerve signals to pass easily between the brain and the rest of the body.

When these passages become pinched or blocked, patients can develop severe headaches or other symptoms (visual or digestive disturbances, sensitivity to light and sound) from the severe pressure placed on nerves and blood vessels that travel through the restricted passages in the base of the skull.

Small openings in the skull are designed to allow blood to exit the skull unhindered. When any of these become pinched by adhesions, pressure can build in the head, causing severe pain, dizziness or nausea.

Due to trauma, surgery, poor posture, or the pressures of life, the powerful connective tissues of the neck, shoulders, chest and back can shorten, creating significant pressure on these tiny pain-sensitive structures. When large restrictions in the body pull the base of the skull down, the delicate nerves and blood vessels can become pinched, causing a migraine headache and related symptoms.

Therapists at Clear Passage Physical Therapy know these patterns and structures well. We treat severe headache or migraine symptoms every week - without drugs. Over the years, we have learned to look beyond the cranium. Working closely with each patient, we examine your history to determine what events or forces in your life history may have contributed to pressure on your skull - and to the passages within it. In many cases, we find that a combination of forces, (e.g. an early fall, poor posture in school, an athletic injury as a young adult, then stressful life events such as job loss, divorce or death of a loved one) have caused a multi-layered pattern that resulted in a stiff neck and tightness at the base of the skull, perpetuated by adhesions in the lower body.

During your week of therapy, we work with you to unravel these events, one by one. Thus, we start with a full-body look at your body and your history. We may start by clearing the passages in your skull. But to get full resolution of your symptoms, we generally need to treat areas further down your spine as well, in order to free the delicate nerves and blood vessels that are being pinched or crushed by the series of healing events that occurred in your body over a lifetime. When we do that, we generally witness a complete resolution of migraine headache pain and their related symptoms.

Doctors comment on the Wurn Technique®
and the book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain

"The Wurn Technique® makes sense: to put 'hands on' the problem and nurture the body's innate desire to heal."

Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, Medical Director, Integrative Medicine 
Faculty: Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine

"What a much-needed, useful and safe way to deal with the common, yet mystifying problem of adhesions. You have perfected a technique to treat adhesions, with years of experience, scientific 'backup' and case studies to prove it."

Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple, Medical Director, Integrative Medicine
Faculty: Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine