Migraine is a neurological disorder, not simply a bad headache and not automatically a neck problem. In this video, Dr. Andrew Newell of Full Life Chiropractic in Austin takes an honest look at what the research says about migraines and neck pain, and why the neck matters for some people but not for others.
Video Summary
Dr. Newell opens with something chiropractors rarely say: current research does not show that chiropractic is a proven treatment for migraine. He walks through that evidence openly, then explains why the neck is still worth a closer look in certain patients.
What Migraines Take From People
For many people, a migraine means a dark room, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, visual symptoms, and cancelled plans. When migraines come often, people start planning their good days around the possibility of the next bad one.
Neck Pain Shows Up Often in Migraine
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis found neck pain in roughly 77% of migraine patients in clinic-based studies, and even more often in chronic migraine. That number is striking, but Dr. Newell explains why it does not prove the neck causes migraines.
Neck pain can be part of the migraine itself, a result of it, a separate cervical problem, or some combination. Research also shows that some migraine patients with neck pain have measurable cervical dysfunction, while others do not.
What the Chiropractic Research Says
A 2019 meta-analysis reported preliminary evidence of small reductions in migraine days and pain intensity, along with real limitations in the trials. A 2024 systematic review of six randomized trials involving 645 people found no clear effect of spinal manipulation on migraine intensity, duration, or emotional quality of life compared with controls.
Dr. Newell is direct about it. This is where the evidence stands today, and his view would change if better evidence came along.
A Better Question to Ask
Instead of asking whether the neck causes migraines, Dr. Newell suggests asking whether the neck is clinically relevant for the individual person. That means looking at restricted motion, whether neck movement reproduces symptoms, measurable cervical dysfunction, and any history of neck injury.
Where Blair Chiropractic Fits
At Full Life Chiropractic, Dr. Newell uses detailed imaging to understand each patient’s upper cervical anatomy before deciding whether an adjustment makes sense. When one is warranted, the Blair upper cervical adjustment is small, specific, and gentle, with no twisting or cracking.
From there, we watch what happens to neck function, symptoms, and migraine frequency. Many patients report fewer and less intense migraines, but Dr. Newell is careful to point out that real improvement does not automatically prove why it happened. If a patient does not improve within a reasonable time frame, he refers them on.
The Takeaway
Neck pain is very common in people with migraines. For some of them the cervical spine is clinically relevant, and for others it is not. A careful assessment is how you find out which group you are in, with the goal of fewer days lost and more of your life back.
Find Out Whether Your Neck Is Part of the Picture
If you live with migraines and neck pain, an upper cervical assessment can help show whether your neck is a relevant factor. Learn more about how we approach headaches and migraines, schedule your first visit online, or call Full Life Chiropractic in Austin at 512-953-9612.
