why do migraines cause so much pain?

Answer 1

http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html

Answer 2

Most experts believe that during a migraine, blood vessels on the surface of the brain expand, causing the area around them to become inflamed and irritate nerve endings. This dilation (expansion) and irritation may account for the pain you experience during a migraine.

Answer 3

Several observations give credence to the theory that the evolution of headache may be an internal protective response developed against environmental stressors. When exposed to extremes of temperature, humans can develop classic vascular headache. The same is true for people who have had sudden lack of sleep or food.

Common triggers of vascular headaches are stress, heat, or a lack of sleep or food. People with predisposition to headache may have a lowered threshold of response to these external stressors. Patients with migraine may have inherited the predisposition for this lowered threshold. Therefore, some experts have theorized that headache is a slow, adaptive response. Most primary headaches develop slowly over minutes, if not hours. The pain associated with headache is transmitted by the slowest of all unmyelinated nerves.

Answer 4

Most of the patients I see, their migraines are caused by muscle tension. There can be some mild dural torque and tension, which is the covering of the brain. If the dura can't freely move, it causes other nerves to fire and cause muscle spams. It can also be caused by the sacrum being locked up. It is a long explanation, but a chiropractor that practices SOT can explain it to you. Go to www.sorsi.com to find a doctor near you. If you are in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area, look at my website at www.healinghandschiro.com.