Migraines

What Dr. Chris actually does about it

The analysis is the same as for any cervical case: visualization, nervoscope, static and motion palpation, and films. What differs is the conversation. Dr. Chris will tell you plainly on the first visit whether he thinks structural care is likely to be a useful part of your picture, or whether you are better served elsewhere.

For migraines, the intake conversation carries as much weight as the exam itself. Dr. Chris asks about your headache pattern, what seems to trigger an episode, and whether neck stiffness, jaw tension, or a history of whiplash or head injury shows up alongside the migraines, because those details help him gauge whether a structural issue is likely part of the picture or mostly separate from it. The five-part analysis then looks closely at the upper cervical spine: static and motion palpation of the top few neck segments, a dual-probe nervoscope reading across that region for temperature differences side to side, and full-spine standing X-rays, skipped entirely during pregnancy, to see the actual alignment rather than guess at it.

If the analysis finds a misaligned segment in the neck or upper back, Dr. Chris adjusts only that segment, in the direction the X-rays and palpation indicate. He doesn't run a standard full-spine adjustment as a default protocol for migraines, and he won't tell you chiropractic care will stop your episodes. If your migraines don't track with any structural finding on exam, or if red-flag symptoms come up, he'll say so directly and point you toward the right kind of care rather than continuing adjustments that aren't addressing what's actually going on.

Questions people ask

Can a chiropractor help with migraines?

Chiropractic care can't promise to stop migraines, but it can identify structural restrictions in the neck that sometimes play a role in headache activity. At Adapt Life, Dr. Chris runs the same five-part Gonstead analysis on every visit to check whether a segment in your neck or upper back is out of alignment and irritating nearby nerves. If the exam finds a structural contributor, Dr. Chris adjusts that segment as part of your care, though migraines have other triggers that chiropractic care doesn't address. What your visit looks like depends entirely on what the exam finds, not on a migraine diagnosis by itself.

What's the difference between a migraine and a cervicogenic headache?

A migraine is a neurological condition with its own triggers, often involving throbbing pain, sensitivity to light or sound, and sometimes nausea or visual changes. A cervicogenic headache starts in the neck itself, usually from a joint or muscle problem in the upper spine, and the pain travels up into the head from there. The two can feel similar and even show up together, which is part of why they're easy to mix up. Structural chiropractic care is more directly aimed at the second type, though a neck problem can still play a role in migraine activity for some people.

Can a chiropractor make migraines worse?

Yes, that's possible. Some people feel more head or neck soreness in the day or two after an adjustment, and if you're already in a migraine cycle, that soreness can feel like it triggered or lengthened an episode. This is one reason Dr. Chris only adjusts segments that the five-part Gonstead analysis actually identifies, instead of adjusting the whole spine out of habit. If your headaches ever get worse after care, tell him at your next visit so the plan can be changed.

Can migraines be cured by a chiropractor?

No one can promise a cure for migraines, and any provider who tells you otherwise is overpromising. Migraines are a complex neurological condition with genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that chiropractic care has no direct control over. What chiropractic care can do is address a structural contributor in the neck or upper back if the exam finds one, which may be part of a larger picture rather than the whole answer. Most people managing migraines long term need more than one approach, and Dr. Chris will say so plainly if he doesn't think chiropractic care is likely to be the main piece for you.

Is chiropractic care or physical therapy better for migraines?

Neither one is clearly better across the board, and the right fit depends on what's actually driving your headaches. Chiropractic structural correction focuses on finding and adjusting specific spinal restrictions, while physical therapy tends to focus on gradually building neck strength, posture, and mobility over a series of sessions. Some people find one approach fits their situation better than the other, and some use both alongside medical migraine management. If you've already tried physical therapy without much change, that's useful to mention at your first visit.

Does a chiropractor need to X-ray me for migraines?

At Adapt Life, full-spine standing X-rays are typically part of the standard five-part analysis for a new patient with migraines, since they show which segments in the spine are out of alignment and which direction they need to be adjusted. The exception is pregnancy: films are never taken during pregnancy, and the exam relies on the other four parts of the analysis instead. X-rays don't diagnose migraines themselves, since migraines are a neurological condition, but they do show the structural picture that visualization, instrumentation, and palpation alone can't fully capture.

When is a bad headache a medical emergency instead of a migraine?

Some headache symptoms need a hospital, not a chiropractic visit. Seek emergency care for a sudden "worst headache of your life" that peaks within seconds, a headache with slurred speech, one-sided weakness or numbness, confusion, or vision loss, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or any headache that starts right after a head injury. Adapt Life's exam is built to find structural causes of head and neck pain, not to rule out a stroke, aneurysm, or infection, so any of those symptoms need immediate medical attention first.