Can Chiropractic Help With Migraines?
Why Migraines and Headaches Happen
Yes! Chiropractic can help with migraines and headaches. However, migraines have many different causes, and whether chiropractic care helps depends on why the migraine is happening in the first place. Some migraines are driven by neurological or vascular factors that may require medical management. Others, most headaches, are strongly influenced and caused by spinal alignment, posture, and nervous system stress.
A Patient Story From Our Clinic
There is no better way to answer this question than through a personal story of a patient I recently worked with. This patient came into the office last year with severe and chronic “migraines.” She told me she took ibuprofen every single day for her migraines. Not occasionally. Not just during stressful weeks. Every day, just to keep the pain manageable. She had even tried “headache” injections like nerve blocks and Botox, nothing. Her migraines had become part of her routine. She stopped asking why they were happening and focused only on getting through the day. Like many people, she was treating a symptom, not the cause. When she came into my office, she explained that she had already tried chiropractic care in the past. She had been getting adjusted for years and experienced some relief, but it never lasted beyond a few days. The headaches always returned. Sound familiar?
During her evaluation at Square One Health, we didn’t just look at where it hurt, we looked at how her neck was structured and how her nervous system was functioning. What we found was a significant cervical kyphosis and several spinal subluxations. A cervical kyphosis is a loss and reversal of the normal cervical (neck) curve and spinal subluxation are when one or more joints in the body are not moving or are misaligned that can lead to pain, stiffness, and a laundry list of symptoms. In other words, her neck wasn’t just tight or stiff. It had lost its normal shape, altering how the joints, muscles, and nerves were working together. Adjustments nor ibuprofen alone weren’t enough. Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and again and expecting different results. Now, I am not calling this patient insane, but can we agree that if something isn’t working maybe changing up the strategy is needed? That is exactly what we did and do at Square One Health. Once we began correcting the curve in her neck and reducing stress on her nervous system, everything changed. Her migraines went away. Not managed. Not masked. Resolved. One month into treatment she says to me, “Dr. Cowan, thank you for finally listening to me and taking a different approach. I can finally work without distraction and have been more active since starting treatment.”
Adjustments by themselves have not been shown to improve the normal neck curve. We use a technique called Chiropractic BioPhysics which has shown time and time again to reshape the curve in the spine permanently. We are the only chiropractors in NoCO that are even certified to practice this technique.
Why Migraines and Headaches Happen
Migraines and headaches are not necessarily diagnoses, they are more like body signals. Those signals can come from many different sources. Some migraine symptoms are red flags and require immediate medical evaluation, especially if they include:
- Sudden, severe onset (“worst headache of your life”)
- Neurological symptoms such as weakness, numbness, or vision changes
- Fever, unexplained weight loss, or night sweats
- Head trauma
- New migraines later in life
These situations should always be evaluated medically by your PCP, Urgent Care, or the ER. However, most chronic migraines and headaches are not dangerous, they are mechanical and neurological in origin.
A Common Cause of Migraines: Cervicogenic Dysfunction
One of the most common and overlooked contributors to migraines and chronic headaches is cervicogenic dysfunction, meaning the problem originates in the neck. When the cervical spine loses proper alignment or motion—often due to subluxation, poor posture, old injuries, or loss of the normal neck curve—it can irritate nerves and surrounding structures that refer pain into the head, temples, or behind the eyes.
This is why many people with migraine headaches also experience:
- Neck stiffness or tightness
- Shoulder and upper back tension
- Poor posture or forward head position
- Migraines worsened by sitting, screen time, or stress
- Temporary relief from massage or adjustments
If the underlying spinal dysfunction isn’t corrected, migraines often return as we saw with that patient above.
Why Chiropractic Hasn’t Helped Migraines for Some People
A common statement I hear is, “I’ve tried chiropractic, and it didn’t help my migraines.” Often, the issue isn’t chiropractic itself—it’s what was evaluated and treated. If care focuses only on short-term symptom relief without assessing spinal structure, posture, and nervous system stress, deeper issues like cervical kyphosis can be missed. If you have been to a chiropractor for your headaches and they did not take x-rays, that is a red flag. Adjustments may help temporarily and help your body heal, but the body continues falling back into the same pattern causing subluxation over and over again. That was the case with the patient above—until we addressed the root cause, not just the pain.
The Only Way to Know What’s Causing Your Migraines
There is no one-size-fits-all answer for migraine headaches. The only way to know whether your migraines or headaches are being driven by subluxation, cervical spine dysfunction, or nervous system stress is through a thorough evaluation by a licensed chiropractor trained to assess spinal alignment and neurological function. At Square One Health, we specialize in the nervous system and identifying where migraines are actually coming from—not just masking symptoms. If you’ve tried medications, massage, or even chiropractic care in the past with limited or temporary relief, it may not mean chiropractic isn’t right for you. It may mean something important was missed.
The Bottom Line
Yes—chiropractic can help with migraines and headaches. But only when it addresses the correct cause. If your migraines are being triggered by neck dysfunction, posture, or nervous system stress, correcting the underlying issue can change everything. If you’re tired of managing symptoms and want real answers, a comprehensive evaluation at Square One Health may be the next step. Sometimes, the problem isn’t that nothing works. It’s that the right thing hasn’t been addressed yet.
Next Steps
📞 Call now or Schedule an appointment today to better understand what may be contributing to your migraines. A chiropractic evaluation can help assess spinal alignment and nervous system function to determine whether care may be appropriate at Square One Health.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can chiropractic care help with migraines?
Chiropractic care may help with migraines that are influenced by spinal alignment, neck function, or nervous system stress. Effectiveness depends on the underlying cause of the migraines.
What causes migraines to come from the neck?
Migraines can sometimes be linked to dysfunction in the cervical spine. Restricted movement, poor posture, or altered spinal alignment may irritate nerves that refer pain into the head.
Why do some people get temporary relief from chiropractic care but migraines return?
Temporary relief may occur when care focuses only on symptom management. If underlying spinal structure or posture issues are not addressed, migraines may return over time.
How do I know if my migraines are cervicogenic?
Migraines that occur alongside neck stiffness, posture issues, or are worsened by prolonged sitting or screen use may be cervicogenic. A thorough evaluation is needed to determine the source.
When should I see a chiropractor for migraines?
People often consider chiropractic care when migraines are chronic, recurring, or associated with neck discomfort or posture-related strain. Evaluation helps determine whether care may be appropriate.
