Migraine Treatment & Chiropractic Care

What Is a Migraine?

Migraine is a neurological condition characterised by recurrent attacks that can involve headache together with a range of other symptoms.

A migraine headache is often moderate to severe and may be throbbing or pulsating. It commonly affects one side of the head, although this is not always the case.

Symptoms may include:

• Moderate or severe headache
• Throbbing or pulsating pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound or smells
• Symptoms made worse by normal physical activity
• Visual or sensory disturbances
• Dizziness in some people
• Neck pain or stiffness

Migraine symptoms vary considerably, and not everyone experiences every symptom.

Migraine With and Without Aura

Migraine is no longer usually divided into the older categories of “common” and “classic” migraine. Two important recognised forms are migraine without aura and migraine with aura.

Migraine Without Aura

This commonly involves recurrent headache attacks that may be moderate or severe, pulsating, aggravated by normal activity and associated with symptoms such as nausea or sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine With Aura

Some people experience temporary neurological symptoms known as an aura before or during a migraine attack.

Aura may include:

• Flashing or shimmering lights
• Blind spots or changes in vision
• Tingling or altered sensation
• Difficulty finding words or speaking in some cases

Aura usually develops gradually and is temporary. However, new neurological symptoms should not automatically be assumed to be migraine, particularly if they are different from your usual pattern.

Find out more about migraine variants and less common migraine presentations →

What Causes Migraine?

Migraine is a complex neurological condition. There is no single structural problem or simple blood-flow explanation that accounts for every migraine attack.

Genetics, the nervous system and a number of biological processes are thought to be involved, and susceptibility varies between individuals.

This also means that migraine should not simply be regarded as a problem caused by the neck.

What Can Trigger a Migraine?

People with migraine sometimes identify circumstances that appear to make an attack more likely, although an attack can also occur without an obvious trigger.

Commonly reported associations include:

• Changes in sleep
• Stress or relaxation following a stressful period
• Missing meals
• Dehydration
• Alcohol
• Hormonal changes
• Bright lights, strong smells or other sensory stimuli
• Changes in routine

Triggers vary considerably between people. Trying to avoid long lists of possible triggers can be unnecessarily restrictive, so it can be more useful to identify patterns that are relevant to you.

Should I Keep a Migraine Diary?

A migraine diary can be useful if your attacks are recurring or you are unsure about their pattern.

You might record:

• When an attack starts
• How long it lasts
• The severity of the symptoms
• Associated symptoms such as nausea, aura or dizziness
• Medication taken and whether it helped
• Sleep, meals or other factors that may be relevant

Over time this can help you and your healthcare professionals recognise patterns and assess whether a treatment or management strategy is helping.

Why Do I Get Neck Pain With Migraines?

Neck pain and stiffness are commonly reported by people with migraine.

Importantly, neck pain during a migraine does not necessarily mean that a problem in the neck has caused the migraine. Neck discomfort can form part of the migraine attack itself.

However, some people with migraine also have a separate musculoskeletal neck problem. In these cases, examining the neck can help establish whether there are additional factors that may benefit from treatment.

Find out more about neck pain and chiropractic care →

How Do We Assess Someone With Migraines?

We Listen to Your Migraine History

We will ask when your migraines began, how frequently they occur, how long they last, where you experience pain and what other symptoms occur before, during and after an attack.

We Ask About Your Neck and Other Symptoms

We will ask whether you experience neck pain, stiffness, dizziness, arm symptoms or other problems alongside your migraines and whether these symptoms occur only during an attack or at other times as well.

We Examine You Where Appropriate

Depending on your presentation, we may assess your neck movement, joints, muscles and nervous system to identify whether there is a musculoskeletal problem contributing to your overall symptoms.

We Explain What We Find

We will explain whether we have identified a neck or musculoskeletal problem that may be appropriate for chiropractic treatment.

If your symptoms suggest that medical assessment or further investigation is more appropriate, we will advise you accordingly.

Can Chiropractic Care Help With Migraine?

Migraine is a neurological condition, so chiropractic treatment should not be presented as correcting an underlying spinal cause of migraine.

However, some people with migraine also experience neck pain, stiffness or other musculoskeletal problems. Where examination identifies an appropriate musculoskeletal component, chiropractic care may be used to address those associated symptoms.

Depending on your individual findings, care may include:

• Spinal manipulation or mobilisation where appropriate
• Soft-tissue techniques
• Exercises to improve movement, strength and physical capacity
• Advice about activity and self-management

Research has also investigated spinal manipulation specifically as a treatment for migraine. Results have been mixed, and current systematic-review evidence does not establish spinal manipulation as an effective treatment for migraine itself.

For this reason, we consider chiropractic care in the context of your individual symptoms rather than suggesting that every person with migraine should receive the same treatment.

Find out more about chiropractic treatment.

What Else Can Help Manage Migraine?

Migraine management often involves a combination of approaches depending on the frequency and severity of attacks.

This may include:

• Maintaining reasonably regular sleep and meal patterns
• Staying adequately hydrated
• Regular physical activity where appropriate
• Recognising individual migraine patterns and triggers
• Medication for acute attacks when appropriate
• Preventative medication for people with frequent or disabling migraine

Your GP or another healthcare professional can advise you about appropriate migraine medication and whether preventative treatment should be considered.

Do I Need an X-Ray or MRI for Migraines?

Most people with an established pattern of migraine do not automatically require an X-ray or MRI.

An X-ray of the neck does not diagnose migraine. Imaging or further investigation is considered when your history or examination suggests another condition may need to be investigated and when the result is likely to influence management.

If we identify anything during your consultation that warrants further investigation or medical assessment, we will explain this to you.

When Should Migraine Symptoms Be Assessed Urgently?

People who have experienced migraine for many years often recognise their usual pattern. A new or substantially different headache or neurological symptom should not automatically be assumed to be another migraine.

Seek urgent medical attention for symptoms such as:

• A sudden, extremely severe headache that reaches maximum intensity very quickly
• New weakness or numbness, particularly affecting one side of the body
• New difficulty speaking, understanding speech or confusion
• Loss of consciousness or a seizure
• New significant problems with vision, balance or coordination
• Severe headache following significant head or neck trauma
• Headache with fever, severe neck stiffness or feeling seriously unwell
• A new or substantially changed severe headache during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth

If neurological symptoms are new, unusual or substantially different from your established migraine aura, seek appropriate medical assessment rather than assuming they are migraine.

Migraine or Cervicogenic Headache?

Migraine and cervicogenic headache are different conditions, although some symptoms can overlap.

Migraine is a neurological condition and may involve nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, aura and other symptoms.

A cervicogenic headache is associated with a problem involving structures in the neck. Pain may begin around the neck or base of the skull and spread towards the head, and neck movement may sometimes influence symptoms.

Some people can experience more than one type of headache, which is another reason why careful assessment is useful.

Read our guide to headaches, migraines and neck-related headaches →

Migraine Assessment Near You

Isis Chiropractic Centres provides assessment for people with migraine and associated neck or musculoskeletal symptoms at our clinics in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Aylesbury.

Migraine Assessment in Milton Keynes

Our Milton Keynes clinic provides chiropractic assessment and treatment, on-site X-ray facilities, rehabilitation facilities and free parking.

Visit our Milton Keynes Chiropractic Clinic →

Migraine Assessment in Northampton

Our Northampton clinic provides chiropractic assessment and treatment, on-site X-ray facilities, rehabilitation facilities and free parking.

Visit our Northampton Chiropractic Clinic →

Migraine Assessment in Aylesbury

Our Aylesbury clinic provides chiropractic assessment and treatment, on-site X-ray facilities and free patient parking.

Visit our Aylesbury Chiropractic Clinic →

Frequently Asked Questions About Migraines

Is migraine just a severe headache?

No. Migraine is a neurological condition. Headache is a common feature, but migraine can also involve nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, visual disturbances, dizziness and other neurological symptoms.

Can migraines cause neck pain?

Yes. Neck pain and stiffness are commonly reported during migraine attacks. This does not necessarily mean that the neck caused the migraine, although some people may also have a separate musculoskeletal neck problem.

Can neck problems cause headaches that feel like migraine?

Some neck-related headaches can share features with migraine. A cervicogenic headache originates from structures in the neck and can produce pain that spreads into the head. Assessment can help distinguish between different headache presentations.

Can a chiropractor help if I suffer from migraines?

If you have migraine together with neck pain, stiffness or another musculoskeletal problem, chiropractic care may be appropriate for those associated symptoms. Evidence for spinal manipulation as a treatment for migraine itself remains uncertain, so treatment should be based on your individual presentation rather than the migraine diagnosis alone.

Will I need an X-ray?

Not usually. Migraine itself is not diagnosed using an X-ray. Imaging is considered only when there is an appropriate clinical reason and the result is likely to influence management.

Should I continue taking my migraine medication?

Do not stop or change prescribed migraine medication on the basis of chiropractic treatment without discussing this with the healthcare professional responsible for prescribing it.

Start by Understanding Your Migraine Symptoms

You do not need to decide for yourself whether your migraine symptoms are related to your neck before you contact us.

That is what the assessment is for.

Our chiropractors in Milton Keynes, Northampton and Aylesbury will listen to your migraine history, assess any associated neck or musculoskeletal symptoms and explain whether chiropractic care may have an appropriate role or whether another form of treatment or investigation would be more suitable.