In plain terms
Headaches & Migraines, in plain terms
What it is
A headache is pain in your head or neck area. It can range from a dull ache to sharp, pounding pain.
A migraine is a stronger kind of headache. It often causes throbbing pain on one side of the head. It can also cause nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound.
Headaches and migraines are very common. Millions of people deal with them every year. They can make it hard to work, care for your family, or enjoy life.
Why it happens
Many headaches start in the neck and upper back. When the joints or muscles in that area are not moving well, it can trigger pain that travels up into the head.
Some headaches come from tension in the muscles around the skull and neck. Others, like migraines, involve changes in the nervous system — the body's wiring system that controls how we feel pain.
Stress, poor posture, and sitting for long periods can all make headaches worse. Sometimes the spine — the bones that stack up in your back and neck — plays a big role.
What it feels like
A tension headache often feels like a tight band squeezing around your head. It may start at the base of your skull and creep forward.
A migraine usually feels like a strong, throbbing beat on one side of the head. The pain can be so bad that bright lights or loud sounds feel unbearable.
Some people feel warning signs before a migraine, like seeing flashing lights or feeling dizzy. Others feel tired or irritable for a day or two beforehand. After a migraine, you may feel drained for hours or even a full day.
How chiropractic care helps
Chiropractic care focuses on the spine and nervous system. When the joints in your neck and upper back move freely, your nervous system can work better — and that may mean fewer headaches.
Dr. James Calloway uses a technique called spinal manipulation (also called an adjustment). This is a gentle, controlled push on specific joints to help them move the way they should. It is not painful for most people.
Many patients find that regular chiropractic visits help reduce how often their headaches come back and how bad they are when they do. Chiropractic care is a drug-free option, which matters to people who worry about taking too many pain medicines.
What to expect
Your first visit at Calloway Chiropractic & Wellness starts with a conversation. Dr. Calloway will ask about your headache history, your health, and what makes your pain better or worse. He may also look at how your neck and back move.
From there, he will build a care plan just for you. Many plans include a series of visits over several weeks. Each visit is usually short — around 10 to 15 minutes for the hands-on care portion.
Most patients notice gradual improvement over their first few visits. Some notice relief sooner. Dr. Calloway will check in with you often to make sure the plan is working. You can reach the office anytime at (352) 555-0187.
The Science: For Those Who Want to Go Deeper
The mechanism
Headache and migraine management represents a significant unmet need in conventional medicine. Approximately 38 million adults in the United States live with migraine, and roughly 91% of them experience migraine-associated disability. Despite the availability of abortive and prophylactic medications, nearly 40% of episodic migraine sufferers report unmet treatment needs, and a substantial proportion experience moderate-to-severe headache-related disability even while under pharmacological care. [1]
A clinically relevant concern with long-term pharmacological management is the risk of medication overuse headache — a paradoxical worsening of headache frequency associated with the regular use of analgesics, ergots, triptans, and opioids. This risk creates a compelling rationale for exploring non-pharmacological, integrative approaches to care. [1]
Cervicogenic headache (CGH) — headache whose primary generator lies in the cervical spine and its associated musculature — shares pathophysiological pathways with migraine, and a common neural mechanism has been proposed for both headache types. The upper cervical and thoracic spine appear to play a central role: restricted joint mobility and sensitized periarticular tissues in these regions can produce referred pain patterns that manifest as head pain. High-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) applied to the cervical and upper thoracic spine is designed to restore normal segmental motion and reduce afferent nociceptive input to the central nervous system. [2][3]
What the evidence shows
Three systematic reviews have examined spinal manipulation as an intervention for migraine, collectively analyzing randomized controlled trial data, though early reviews were limited by small trial pools and the absence of meta-analytic pooling. A subsequent systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis — one of the more rigorous syntheses available — specifically examined the effects of spinal manipulation on migraine frequency, pain intensity, and disability, searching PubMed and the Cochrane Library through April 2017 in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. [4]
On the cervicogenic headache side, a dose-response randomized controlled trial allocated 80 participants across two levels of SMT dose (8 versus 16 sessions) compared against a minimal light massage control condition. Randomization was computer-generated and allocation-concealed, and the light massage arm was included specifically to isolate the effect of SMT above non-specific therapeutic touch. Outcomes measured included headache frequency, pain intensity, and cervical range of motion. [3]
A separate study using high-velocity, low-amplitude cervical and upper thoracic SMT — delivered by chiropractors with over 20 years of clinical experience each — further characterized the response of headache sufferers to structured spinal manipulation protocols. The study employed moist heat and light massage as preparatory soft-tissue treatment before the manipulative procedure, a methodology consistent with standard chiropractic practice. [2]
Independent formal inquiry has also acknowledged the clinical evidence base: a commission of inquiry concluded that headaches and migraines are known to respond to cervical manual therapy, and noted that some practitioners treat migraine by cervical manipulation as a specialty, including on referral from physicians. [5]
Survey data underscore the clinical relevance: approximately 15.4% of individuals with migraine report using chiropractic care in the prior 12 months, and roughly 12% of patients presenting to chiropractors list headache as their chief complaint. Given that 94% of reimbursed spinal manipulation in the United States is delivered by chiropractors, this represents a substantial and measurable patient population seeking this form of care. [1][4]
When to seek other care
- Seek emergency care immediately if your headache comes on suddenly and feels like the worst pain of your life — this can be a sign of a serious problem in the brain.
- See a medical doctor right away if your headache comes with fever, stiff neck, confusion, slurred speech, vision loss, or weakness on one side of your body.
- Get checked out promptly if your headache started after a head injury, fall, or car accident.
- Talk to a doctor if your headaches are getting more frequent or more severe over a short period of time without a clear reason.
- If you are unsure whether chiropractic care is right for your situation, Dr. Calloway is happy to discuss your case before you commit to any care plan. Call (352) 555-0187 and we will help you figure out the right next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can a chiropractor really help with migraines?
- Research suggests that spinal manipulation — the main tool chiropractors use — may help reduce how often migraines happen and how severe they are. Studies have looked at this question directly, comparing spinal adjustments to control treatments, and the results are encouraging. Chiropractic care is not a cure, but for many people it is a meaningful part of managing migraines, especially when they want to reduce their reliance on medication.
- What is the difference between a tension headache, a migraine, and a cervicogenic headache?
- A tension headache usually feels like steady pressure around the whole head. A migraine tends to be more intense, often one-sided, and can come with nausea or light sensitivity. A cervicogenic headache starts in the neck — the word 'cervicogenic' simply means 'coming from the cervical spine' — and the pain travels up into the head. All three types can potentially benefit from chiropractic care, though Dr. Calloway will assess which type you are dealing with before recommending a plan.
- Is spinal manipulation safe for headache patients?
- For most people, spinal manipulation of the neck and upper back is a well-tolerated procedure. Mild soreness after an adjustment is the most common side effect, similar to how muscles feel after light exercise. During your first visit, Dr. Calloway will review your health history carefully to make sure spinal manipulation is appropriate for you. If it is not, he will let you know and discuss other options.
- How many visits will it take before I notice improvement?
- This varies from person to person. Some patients notice improvement within the first few visits. Clinical studies on chiropractic care for headaches have typically used treatment courses ranging from 8 to 16 sessions delivered over several weeks. Dr. Calloway will monitor your progress at each visit and adjust your care plan as needed. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but you will always know where you stand.
- Do I have to stop my headache medications to try chiropractic care?
- No. Chiropractic care and medication can work alongside each other. In fact, one reason many patients come to Calloway Chiropractic & Wellness is that they want to reduce their dependence on pain medicines over time — but that is a gradual, personal decision. Always talk to the doctor who prescribes your medication before making any changes to your medication routine.
- How do I get started at Calloway Chiropractic & Wellness in Crystal River?
- Simply call our office at (352) 555-0187 to schedule a new patient appointment with Dr. James Calloway, DC. Your first visit includes a conversation about your headache history and a physical assessment of your neck and spine. From there, Dr. Calloway will explain what he found and walk you through what a care plan could look like for you — no pressure, no obligation.
Sources & Research
This page was written from the following passages in our chiropractic research library.
- 1.goertz 30973196 pmc
full text ( pmc body ) background : thirty - eight million adults in theunited states are estimated to be migraine sufferers, of these, 91 % experience migraine - associated disability. 1 – 3 traditionally, abortive and prophylactic…
- 2.haas 20605552 pmc
headache, usually migraine, 26 many cgh sufferers were shown to have migraine in a previous study, 27 and a common pathway had been proposed for the headache types. 28, 29 in addition, these headache types had been shown to be responsive…
- 3.haas 19837005 pmc
the purpose of the study was to make a preliminary evaluation of 1 ) the effect of the number of treatment sessions ( dose ) provided by a chiropractor and 2 ) the relative efficacy of spinal manipulative therapy ( smt ) for the care of…
- 4.goertz 30973196 pmc
disease burden in chiropractic care clinics because 94 % of spinal manipulation for which reimbursement is sought in the u. s. is delivered by chiropractors. 7 for example, a survey of australian chiropractors also found that 53 % of…
- 5.Commission-of-Inquiry
within the type m category. headaches and migraine are known to respond to cervical manual therapy ( see chapter 37 ) : indeed mr b. r. mulligan, a well - known physiotherapist and manipulative therapist who gave evidence before us deals…