As a chiropractor in Rochester Hills, MI, we see cases of migraines daily. Fifty percent of Americans will report having a headache at least once per year, and one of the most common types of headaches that patients come to us with is migraine headaches. Migraines are a neurologic problem whose symptoms can be debilitating for many people. In fact, the estimated costs between healthcare and lost productivity due to migraines are around $36 billion per year! Nearly one in four households in the U.S. has someone who suffers from migraines, and a staggering 85% of chronic migraine sufferers are women.
Migraines typically present with severe, throbbing pain that is usually unilateral. It is common to also feel pain behind the eye on the side of the symptoms. Other migraine symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, and numbness. Around 25% of migraine sufferers will experience a visual disturbance called an aura, which typically precedes the migraine episode. Migraines can last 4 to 72 hours, making it difficult for sufferers to live their lives normally.
With migraines, it is crucial to identify the root cause. If there is a physical or mechanical problem with a bone, nerve, muscle, or disc, it needs to be addressed. For example, if the vertebrae (spinal bones) in your neck are not properly aligned, it can cause pressure on the nerves at that level and cause these headaches. To fix the problem, proper spinal alignment needs to be restored. This is one of the things we specialize in. Whatever the trigger for the migraine, whether it be a physical problem, a hormonal imbalance, a specific food, or anything else, it needs to be identified and corrected to stop the problem from persisting.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. I Feel Heard & Not Crazy
Many patients tell us this is the first time they’ve felt truly listened to. During your consultation and exam, we slow things down, ask the right questions, and create space for your full story—without rushing, dismissing, or minimizing your experience.
2. You Did More Than The Last 10 Doctors Combined
It’s because we slow down and look deeper. Every exam and X-ray is intentional, detailed, and designed to uncover the root cause—not just manage symptoms.
3. Wow, It Is Already Working
We use X-rays before and after treatment to measure real change. By comparing them, patients can see how their spine responds, helping to build confidence in the adjustments and in the body’s natural ability to heal.
4. I Finally Feel Normal Again
After struggling with chronic pain, headaches, or nerve issues, many patients tell us, “I finally feel normal again.” Our precise adjustments and thorough care help restore balance to the spine and nervous system, allowing the body to function the way it was meant to.
How We Treat Migraines In Rochester Hills, MI
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
Every new patient in our office begins their healing journey with a thorough consultation and examination. We want to hear your story in your own words about this problem. How long have you been dealing with migraines? How often do you get them? What impact has this had on your life? Truly understanding your condition and how it has affected your life helps us identify your goals and provide you with our best recommendations for care.
After the consultation, the examination will begin. Orthopedic, neurologic, and functional movement testing will be performed to understand how your spine and nervous system are currently functioning. We will also check your spine for subluxation (a vertebra not moving properly or being out of alignment), which may be the root cause of your problem. We will also assess your posture, as this can be an underlying contributing factor to why problems like this tend to persist for long periods. All of these findings are communicated to you at your follow-up visit so that you may understand your condition and what needs to be done to address it.
Specific Chiropractic Care In Rochester Hills, MI
Upper Cervical Chiropractic care is at the forefront of our treatment approach to migraines. We pay special attention to the 2 vertebrae at the top of the spine that are closest to the skull. The nerves at these levels leave the spine and travel up towards and around the head. When these vertebrae are subluxated (out of place), they can irritate these nerves and send pain signals along their pathways into the head.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic care restores proper spinal alignment, taking pressure off the nerves and allowing them to heal properly. With chronic problems, chiropractic care can take time and multiple visits to address them correctly. Be patient with your body and give it the time it needs to heal. In many instances, this problem didn’t develop overnight, so we shouldn’t expect it to be corrected overnight, either. That being said, many migraine sufferers begin to see positive results almost immediately.
Specific 3-D Digital X-Rays
This is the most important step in our office to determine how to address and adjust your neck to eliminate your migraines. We take three distinct views to form a 3-D image of your neck, and we measure down to the thickness of your fingernail to pinpoint the problem. By looking at this closely, we can adjust you without popping, twisting, or cracking. Most of our patients say they can barely feel the adjustment happen, but can start to feel changes instantly!
Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM)
FSM is an exciting new treatment for nerve pain, muscle pain, and many other conditions using specific frequencies and micro-amperage current. FSM also uses the resonance effects of frequencies on tissues and conditions to create beneficial changes to symptoms and health.
Microcurrent is current in millionths of an ampere (amp). Micro-amperage current is the same kind of current your body produces on its own within each cell. The current is very small. There is not enough current to stimulate sensory nerves, so the current flow cannot be felt. FSM is a very effective tool for calming nerves and helping them regulate correctly, which can help calm migraines and fix the problem.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Often, with migraines, certain postural elements need to be addressed for the body to heal. The most commonly seen postural problem associated with headaches and neck pain is forward head posture. When the head is in front of the shoulders, it places a tremendous burden on the neck joints and muscles, which can lead to problems over time.
If we find that you have postural issues, we will recommend a few home exercises/care for you to do besides the care you receive in the office. Consistency is key. Through these programs, we are helping people teach their spines the right muscle balance to maintain good alignment and posture. This not only helps address problems like migraines but also helps keep them away in the future.
Nutritional Supplementation
In migraines, one key factor to discuss is nutrition. Some food types are common triggers for migraines, so it is very important to identify and eliminate them. Foods such as chocolate, cheese, and red wine are among the most common triggers of migraines. If one of these is indeed the cause of your migraines, then eliminating it from your diet would be ideal to improve your quality of life.
Supplementation may also be an effective way to combat migraine headaches. Vitamin D, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), and Magnesium are common deficiencies associated with migraines. These can be found in whole-food sources or in supplement form. With supplements, however, you always want to consider the source. Some supplements on the market are ineffective. You should check with your provider for recommendations on supplements to take.
Common Triggers of Migraines in Rochester Hills, MI
Dysfunction in Your Spine (Subluxation)
When it comes to identifying the cause of migraine headaches, many times the answer isn’t even in the head, but rather in the neck! When a vertebra in your upper neck is out of position (subluxated), it can cause the nearby spinal nerves to become inflamed and irritated. When this happens, the nerves can transmit pain signals along them. This results in migraine headaches for many people, and many have tried other forms of treatment for months or years without addressing the cause of the problem. This is because no pill or injection can restore that vertebra to its proper place.
Chiropractors are experts at identifying and correcting spinal subluxations. Our Chiropractic adjustments are gentle and specific with no popping, twisting, or cracking, and are a natural way to alleviate pain and restore function to your body’s nervous system. When your nervous system is working properly, your body can finally heal and get back to functioning at the level it should. This leads to more independence and a higher quality of life!
Stress
One of the most common causes of migraines is stress. In fact, it is a known trigger for about 70% of migraine sufferers. Every day of life is stressful enough. If you suffer from migraines, though, there is the added worry of when your next attack is going to happen. This becomes an exhausting cycle that takes a toll on the body, mind, and emotions. Over time, this emotional stress can have a damaging effect on your immune system, which can make you prone to getting sick more often. Therefore, it is extremely important to identify the stressors in your life and work on managing them. Some common ways to manage stress include meditation, exercise, consistent sleep, and chiropractic adjustments. Ideally, incorporating all of these will not only help address your migraine issue but also improve your overall health in a significant way.
Irregular Sleep
One of the most overlooked aspects of our health is the quality and quantity of our sleep. When we sleep, our bodies are still hard at work renewing and repairing parts of our bodies – including our brains! Simply put, sleep is a time for the body to heal. Having an irregular sleep pattern is one common cause of migraines. In fact, half of migraine attacks occur between the hours of 4 AM and 9 AM. This puts those with sleep disorders at an even greater risk of experiencing migraine headaches.
Sleep irregularities and migraines can form a vicious cycle: Lack of good sleep can contribute to migraines, and migraines can be a barrier to getting good sleep. It can go on and on while having a harsh impact on a person’s quality of life. If you experience migraines, one of the best things you can do is improve your sleep. Limiting things like afternoon caffeine, evening screen time, and stimulating activities can promote better sleep patterns and potentially help with your headache.
Hormones
Statistically, women are three times more likely to experience a migraine headache than men. Perhaps the main reason for this disparity is hormones and the way they can fluctuate. For example, estrogen is a female hormone whose fluctuations have been linked with migraine headache episodes. When estrogen levels drop, it can trigger a migraine to occur or make an existing migraine worse.
While balancing hormone levels seems like the obvious solution, the reality is that hormones change for a variety of reasons. The menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause are three particular causes of hormonal changes that can contribute to the incidence of migraines. Because migraines are a complex issue, though, it is common to have other factors, such as diet, contributing to this issue. Living a healthy lifestyle is the best way to balance your hormones naturally and help limit migraine frequency.
Diet and Dehydration
Your diet is one of the most powerful ways you can influence your health and well-being. If you eat well consistently, achieving optimal health is a given. Conversely, if you eat poorly consistently, it can derail your health and lead to all kinds of problems. If you experience migraines, one of the first things you should consider is whether the migraine stems from something you ate or drank. Many foods can trigger migraines, including chocolate, cheese, cured meats, artificial sweeteners, and red wine. It is important to identify your food triggers, as this can be a significant step towards better migraine management.
Dehydration is another common cause of migraine headaches. In fact, one-third of migraine sufferers cite dehydration as a trigger. Our bodies depend on adequate hydration to perform countless bodily functions. Our bodies are primarily composed of water, so it is essential that we have enough to function properly. For example, the brain is 73% water! A good baseline target for daily consumption is half your body’s weight in ounces. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you should consume around 85 oz. of water each day. If you are an active individual, you should consume more than half your body weight to account for water loss from sweating.
Medication Overuse
There is a time and a place for medications – there is no question about that. However, the number of medications being taken by Americans is alarming. We make up 5% of the world’s population, yet take over 50% of the world’s prescription medications. That is a staggering statistic. Medications are designed to alter the body’s physiology to accomplish their intended purpose. The changes that occur in the body as a result are what we call side effects. One of the most common side effects of many medications is migraines.
We simply must ask ourselves if there are better, safer ways for us to be healthier and function better. From a pain standpoint, there are effective, natural options for addressing the source of your pain. Chiropractic, massage, and exercise are three wonderful, completely natural modalities that can address the source of your pain and help you feel the way you want to. The fewer medications you have to rely on, the less chance that they can cause those unwanted side effects, such as migraines.
Check Out Our Location Near You
441 S Livernois Rd #205, Rochester Hills, MI 48307
Frequently Asked Questions
Can going to a chiropractor help with migraines?
Absolutely! Chiropractors are trained to identify misalignments in the spine, which commonly occur in the upper neck area. The nerves from this part of the spine travel throughout the head, and if they are irritated, they can cause pain along those pathways. Chiropractic is a safe, gentle method for addressing migraines caused by spinal misalignment.
Are migraines bad for the brain?
Anything that causes chronic pain over weeks, months, or years of someone’s life is, of course, not good for the brain. Pain changes your brain, and over time, it can become more difficult to overcome those changes. However, it is possible to overcome even chronic migraines by implementing the right health strategies. Chiropractic, proper nutrition and hydration, and stress management can all positively affect your health and reduce the incidence of migraines.
Does exercise help with migraines?
Definitely! Exercise is a fantastic way to help manage migraines. Exercise causes your brain to release dopamine, a powerful chemical that alleviates pain. Exercise is also part of a healthy lifestyle and can bring numerous health benefits. Some of these benefits help address other aspects of your health that may be contributing to your migraines (such as blood pressure).
What foods should you avoid during a migraine?
There are many different types of food triggers for migraines. Some of the most common ones are red wine, chocolate, and cheese because of their chemical composition. Other foods you may want to avoid include foods with added sugar and fast food. Anything that promotes inflammation in the body is best avoided.
What is the quickest way to get rid of a migraine?
If a misalignment in your spine is causing your migraine, then getting adjusted by a chiropractor is the quickest way to address this issue. Many times, there can be instant relief in this scenario. Another way to help get rid of a migraine would be to sleep, especially if you get light sensitivity with your migraine headache episodes.
