What Is Hemiplegic Migraine?
A rare but frightening condition is the hemiplegic migraine which is a typical migraine headache associated with complete or partial paralysis on one side of the body. The paralysis can last from hours to days in duration, followed by a full recovery of strength. An attack of hemiplegic migraine can be triggered by minor head trauma such as that experienced in sports, or by other typical migraine triggers. Hemiplegic migraine attacks can occur in young children and may persist into adulthood. It may be a hereditary condition.
Headache and hemiplegic migraine sometimes go together, and sometimes don’t. Hemiplegia is simply paralysis on one side of the body. Someone with hemiplegic migraine has, as one of their symptoms or perhaps their only symptom, trouble moving one side of their body. Since this is a common stroke symptom, it can be frightening. The symptoms usually occur during the migraine attack and sometimes for a while afterwards. The good news is that the symptoms are only temporary, and are usually gone within 24 hours. (Usually, but not always. Some symptoms may last weeks, but this is less common. If you get a headache, the other symptoms may outlast the headache itself, which is usually short lived.) Sometimes it affects most of the one side of the body, at other times only a part. Other symptoms may go along with it, such as difficulty speaking. There may be numbness, or a prickly feeling. Hemiplegic migraine can start in childhood or adulthood. The same person may get headaches or migraine att
