HEADACHES & MIGRAINES
Types of Headaches and Migraines
Not all headaches are created equal, and understanding the type matters for effective care.
Tension headaches — The most common type. A band-like pressure around the head driven by muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Cervicogenic headaches — Pain that originates in the cervical spine and radiates into the head. Often one-sided and triggered by neck movement or sustained posture.
Migraines — Intense, often debilitating episodes involving throbbing pain, nausea, light sensitivity, and sometimes visual disturbances (aura). Migraines have a significant neurological component involving brainstem and vascular regulation.
All three types share a common thread: the cervical spine and nervous system play a central role.
What's Really Causing Your Headaches
Headache medication addresses the pain signal. It doesn't ask why the signal exists.
In most chronic headache cases, the answer is structural. Upper cervical misalignment creates tension patterns through the muscles, nerves, and blood vessels of the head and neck. Subluxation in C1 and C2 can directly irritate the nerves that feed into headache pathways. And a nervous system stuck in sympathetic dominance amplifies pain sensitivity across the board.
Add the modern factors — screen time, desk posture, chronic stress, poor sleep — and you have a recipe for headaches that medication will never fully resolve.
How Chiropractic Addresses the Source
Dr. Jennifer's approach focuses on the cervical spine and nervous system patterns that generate headaches. INSiGHT scans identify where interference exists, and gentle adjustments correct the misalignment driving the problem.
Upper cervical adjustments reduce nerve irritation at the source. Restoration of proper spinal curves reduces chronic muscle tension. And as nervous system regulation improves, the pain amplification that comes with sympathetic dominance diminishes.
Many patients find that headaches they've managed for years decrease significantly — in frequency, intensity, and duration.
What to Expect
Your first visit includes a thorough assessment of the cervical spine, INSiGHT neurological scans, and a detailed history of your headache patterns. Dr. Jennifer will identify the structural and neurological drivers and build a care plan targeting the root cause — not just symptom management.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Migraines involve brainstem and nervous system dysregulation that's often connected to upper cervical misalignment. Correcting this alignment reduces the frequency and severity of migraine episodes for many patients.
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By addressing the upper cervical misalignment, nerve irritation, and muscle tension patterns that generate headaches at the source — rather than masking the pain signal.
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Many patients notice a reduction in headache frequency within the first few weeks. Chronic patterns that have been present for years may take longer to fully resolve.
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Cervicogenic and tension headaches typically respond most quickly. Migraines also respond well, though the timeline may be longer due to the neurological complexity involved.