Migraines are some of the most severe forms of headaches. Approximately 13% or 28 million adults get migraine headaches. These throbbing headaches usually occur on one side of the head or the other and last from 4 to 72 hours, striking at various, unpredictable times. Other symptoms that accompany a migraine headache include sensitivity to light and noise, and sometimes odors that induce nausea or vomiting.
Other symptoms of a migraine headache may include:
- A pre-headache phase characterized by enhanced sensory perceptions. Colors seem brighter, a feeling of “butterflies in the stomach,” and a light, disoriented feeling may wash over you.
- An “aura” will begin before the headache strikes, often as a visual disturbance, such as flashing or flickering lights in one corner of your field of vision.
There are factors known to contribute to the onset and severity of a migraine headache. Unfortunately, there are also some people’s most favorite indulgences. Migraines may be triggered by caffeine, alcohol, and cigarette smoke. Even if you don’t drink coffee, smoke, or partake of alcoholic beverages, you can set off a migraine in other ways. These include chocolate, the common preservative MSG, some prescription medications, or even smelling gasoline or different perfumes.
Other environmental factors that can lead to a migraine are:
- Weather changes
- Bright lights
- Loud noises.
You can also get migraines by becoming fatigued or not dealing with emotional stress.
Certain health conditions can contribute to the development of migraines. Often, dealing with other health problems will eliminate the migraine or prevent one from happening if you are prone to migraine headaches. Some of the more common ailments that lead to migraines are urinary tract infections, stomach trouble, or dysmenorrhea.
Migraines originate in arteries and veins in the brain and around the skull. The cranial nerves and the dura mater, which covers the brain, are the most susceptible. They become inflamed and even infected, causing pain. Pain can also come from compression or other irritations to the vessels.
Migraine headaches occur in a variety of forms, including classic migraines, common migraines, and cluster migraines. Each type of migraine will respond to different kinds of treatment, and each person reacts differently to chiropractic treatment. Migraine therapy must be custom-tailored to the individual after a careful analysis and consultation with your chiropractor.
Chiropractic is very well equipped to deal with the root cause of pain associated with a migraine headache. Because chiropractic focuses on the nerves throughout the entire body, a problem with the cranial nerves and nerves that supply blood vessels to the brain and head can be effectively addressed through spinal manipulation.
As a Chiropractor in Escondido, CA, we see cases of migraines daily. 50% 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 1 in 4 households in the U.S. have someone who suffers from migraines, and a staggering 85% of chronic migraine sufferers are women. Migraines typically present with a severe, throbbing pain that is usually on one side of the head. It is common to also experience pain behind the eye on the same side as 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 anywhere from 4 to 72 hours, making them a real obstacle for sufferers to live their lives normally. With migraines, it is essential to identify the underlying cause of the problem. If there is a physical or mechanical problem with a bone, nerve, muscle, or disc, then that problem 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, leading to these headaches. To resolve the issue, proper spinal alignment must be restored. This is what our chiropractors 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.
$149 New Patient Special
Includes Private Consultation to discuss your needs & concerns, Gentle Chiropractic Examination to find out what’s wrong, Any necessary X-rays to understand your condition fully, Report of Findings.
How Our Better, Stronger, Healthier Plan Works
1. Better
Many people seek help from a chiropractor only when they are suffering from such intense pain that it is interfering with their daily life. Chiropractic classifies treatment in this period of intense pain as relief care. The chiropractor’s focus during this period is to alleviate your symptoms. Sometimes, this will require daily visits or two to three visits per week for some time.
2. Stronger
We regard eliminating your symptoms as the easiest part of a persons care. If we stop there it’s very likely that the underlying cause of the pain (disk problem, curved spine, limited range of motion, etc.)will cause a recurrence of the condition. If you repeat the process of treating only the pain, then over time your structural problem will only worsen leading to a chronic state of pain and suffering.
3. Healthier
Once the chiropractor determines that you have fully recovered from your injury you are ready for treatment in Stage 3 – Wellness. As strange as it may seem this might well be the most important part of the entire process. Most of the injuries that people suffer that lead them to chiropractors occur because their bodies aren’t really in overall good health.
How We Treat Migraines In Escondido, CA
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
To get started on the road to recovery, each new patient meets with a doctor for a comprehensive consultation and physical examination. They are interested in hearing your account of this issue – how frequently they occur and how they affect your life. We can better pinpoint your needs and provide informed recommendations for treatment after we have a firm grasp on how your ailment has impacted every aspect of your life.
The exam consists of neurologic, orthopedic, and functional mobility tests to assess your spinal cord and neurological system’s present state of health. Subluxation (an improperly moving or misaligned vertebrae) may be at the foundation of your condition, so we’ll also look at your spine. We’ll also check your posture because it may be a component of why your issue has persisted for so long.
Digital X-Rays
At Corrective Spinal Care of California, we take standing digital X-rays to see exactly what’s going on inside. For the management of headaches, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of your spine’s structure. With these specific X-rays, we can detect prior injuries, abnormalities, improper biomechanics, or degeneration that may be contributing to your headaches. X-rays can even reveal conditions like osteoporosis, tumors, arthritis, spinal misalignments, and fractures. If your problem is not a chiropractic problem, we will refer you to the specialist necessary.
By examining your unique spinal mechanics, our chiropractors can pinpoint the exact cause of your pain. This is crucial for designing an effective treatment care plan specifically for you.
We often see patients who have consulted multiple chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and orthopedic surgeons. Sometimes the problem of neck pain isn’t found in the neck. At Corrective Spinal Care of Oof California, we can specifically identify the root of the problem, often stemming from other areas of the body.
With modern digital X-ray technology, tiny amounts of radiation are utilized; the diagnostic benefits of digital X-ray greatly outweigh the risks. X-ray technology is a safe and invaluable tool for chiropractors to use in corrective care, helping to alleviate headaches and other musculoskeletal issues. With digital X-rays, we can determine the best treatment for your specific needs. When a corrective care plan is finished, the doctors at Corrective Spinal Care of California take additional digital X-rays and compare them to the initial set. Here, we can see if we corrected the problem once and for all. Did we get to the root of your problem so that you don’t have to continue dealing with this for years to come?
Specific Chiropractic Care in Escondido, CA
Oftentimes, new patients in our clinic all describe the same thing to us. The treatment and care plans in our clinic differ from those of other chiropractors and therapists. Specificity and science are crucial ingredients to our success. Most spinal issues are created by what’s called a subluxation, where vertebrae in the spine have become misaligned and out of place and are not able to move correctly with the other vertebrae. When that happens, nerves can become irritated, eventually leading to symptoms such as headaches. The majority of people who experience headaches often have a subluxation in the upper cervical spine, specifically in the neck. The nerves in these areas come out of the upper part of the neck and travel up to the back of the head. When these nerves are pinched or irritated, the most common symptom people experience is headaches. Utilizing specific corrective chiropractic care in this area of the neck enables our doctors to remove any nerve interference, thereby restoring your normal nerve function. For the majority of our patients, this approach will fix most headaches almost instantly.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
At Corrective Spinal Care of California, our team puts a significant focus on posture. Your posture is a window into your spine, which has a direct relationship with your overall health. As the spine decays, so will your health.“If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” Many who come to our clinic with headaches have direct problems related to their posture that have been there for many years. Correcting these posture issues becomes crucial to adequately addressing the problem that causes the headaches.
Common partial issues we see on the planet, due to the amount of screen time we now spend on cell phones and computers, are what is called forward head posture. Ideally, your head is directly in line with your shoulders, with your ears lining up with your shoulders. Because we are constantly looking down at our electronic devices, we strain the muscles in the neck and the back of the head, which can contribute to headaches.
At Corrective Spinal Care of California, our doctors work together to create customized, tailored exercise plans that are specifically designed to meet your individual needs. Very often, patients need to complete exercises at home between clinic visits. We will also review with you how to avoid making your problem worse while at work. It is a team effort where our doctors, staff, and patients collaborate to achieve optimal health for each individual.
Nutrition and Supplementation
When it comes to migraines, one key factor that needs to be discussed is nutrition. Certain food types are common triggers for migraines, so it is crucial to identify and eliminate them. Foods such as chocolate, cheese, and red wine are among the most common triggers of migraines for people. 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 as a supplement. 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 Causes of Migraines in Escondido, CA
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 crucial to identify the stressors in your life and work on managing them effectively. Some common ways to manage stress include meditation, exercise, consistent sleep, and chiropractic adjustments. Ideally, incorporating all of these elements will not only help address your migraine issue but also significantly improve your overall health.
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 not in the correct position (subluxated), it can cause the nearby spinal nerves to become inflamed and irritated. When this happens, the nerves can shoot pain signals along those nerves. 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 in identifying and correcting spinal subluxations. Chiropractic adjustments are a gentle, natural way to alleviate pain and restore function to your body’s nervous system. When your nervous system is functioning correctly, your body can finally heal and return to its normal level of functioning. This leads to more independence and a higher quality of life!
Irregular Sleep
One of the most overlooked aspects of our health is the quality and quantity of our sleep. When we sleep, our body is still hard at work renewing and repairing parts of our body – including our brain! 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: a lack of good sleep can contribute to migraines, and migraines can be a barrier to getting quality sleep. It can persist for an extended period, having a profoundly 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 quality. Limiting things like afternoon caffeine, evening screen time, and stimulating activities can promote better sleep patterns and potentially help your headache problem.
Hormones
Statistically, women are three times more likely to experience a migraine headache than men. Perhaps the main reason for this disparity is due to hormonal fluctuations. 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 may seem like the obvious solution, the reality is that hormones fluctuate for various 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 one of the best ways to naturally balance your hormones and help limit the number of migraines you experience.
Diet and Dehydration
Your diet is one of the most potent ways to influence your health and well-being. If you consistently eat well, achieving optimal health is a certainty. Conversely, if you consistently eat poorly, it can significantly impact your health and lead to various health 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 different foods can trigger migraines, including chocolate, cheese, cured meats, artificial sweeteners, and red wine, among others. Identifying your food triggers is crucial because it can be a significant step towards better managing your migraines.
Dehydration is another common cause of migraine headaches. In fact, 33% of migraine sufferers cite dehydration as a trigger. Our body relies on adequate hydration levels to perform numerous bodily functions. Our bodies are primarily composed of water, so we must have sufficient amounts to function properly. For example, the brain is composed of 73% water. A good baseline target for daily consumption is half your body’s weight in ounces. If you weigh 170 pounds, you should aim to consume approximately 85 ounces of water daily. If you are an active individual, you should drink at least half of your body weight in water to account for water loss through sweating.
Medication Overuse
There is a time and a place for medications – there is no question about that. However, the number of drugs 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 know as side effects. One of the most common side effects of many medications is migraines. We must ask ourselves if there are better, safer ways for us to be healthier and function more effectively. From a pain standpoint, there are effective, natural options for addressing the source of your pain. Chiropractic, massage, and exercise are three wonderful modalities that are entirely natural and can address the root cause of your pain, helping you return to feeling 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
330 W Felicita Ave Suite B-1, Escondido, CA 92025
Frequently Asked Questions
Can visiting a chiropractor help alleviate migraines?
Chiropractic care is a powerful tool for addressing migraines, particularly those stemming from biomechanical dysfunction. Subluxations in the upper cervical spine—especially at the atlas (C1) and axis (C2)—can irritate critical neural structures, such as the greater occipital nerve, which innervates the scalp and cranium. This irritation often manifests as migraines due to referred pain along these pathways. Through precise, gentle spinal adjustments, chiropractors restore proper alignment, alleviating nerve compression and reducing migraine frequency and intensity with remarkable safety and efficacy.
Are migraines bad for the brain?
Chronic migraines, as a source of persistent nociceptive stress, pose significant challenges to neurological health. Prolonged pain signals can induce neuroplastic changes, such as heightened excitability in the trigeminovascular system and cortical reorganization, which may impair cognitive function and emotional regulation over time. However, my chiropractic perspective emphasizes the brain’s resilience. By integrating spinal adjustments to correct subluxations, optimizing hydration to support cerebral perfusion, and employing stress-reduction techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, patients can mitigate these effects, reduce migraine recurrence, and restore neurological harmony.
Does exercise help with migraines?
Absolutely, exercise is a cornerstone of migraine management from a chiropractic viewpoint. Controlled physical activity, such as low-impact aerobics or corrective movement patterns, enhances spinal mobility and proprioceptive input, counteracting postural stressors that contribute to cervicogenic migraines. Furthermore, exercise stimulates the release of endorphins and dopamine, which modulate pain pathways in the brainstem and cortex, providing natural analgesia. Regular movement also supports cardiovascular health and stabilizes autonomic function, addressing underlying factors like hypertension that may exacerbate migraines.
What foods should you avoid during a migraine?
Particular foods act as potent migraine triggers by inciting neurovascular or inflammatory responses. Common offenders include tyramine-rich aged cheeses, phenylethylamine-containing chocolate, and sulfite-laden red wines, which can provoke cerebral vasodilation and neuronal hyperexcitability. Additionally, avoid processed foods high in refined sugars or artificial additives, as these amplify systemic inflammation, aggravating migraine-prone physiology. As a chiropractor, I recommend an anti-inflammatory diet that emphasizes whole foods, such as leafy greens and omega-3-rich fish, to stabilize the nervous system and support spinal health.
What is the quickest way to get rid of a migraine?
For migraines rooted in spinal misalignment, a targeted chiropractic adjustment provides the fastest relief by realigning the cervical vertebrae, particularly the atlas, to decompress irritated nerves, such as the suboccipital nerve. Many patients experience near-instantaneous symptom relief following such corrections. Additionally, for migraines accompanied by photophobia or phonophobia, retreating to a dark, quiet environment to facilitate restorative sleep can expedite recovery by calming the overactive trigeminal system and promoting glymphatic clearance. Proper hydration further supports rapid resolution by optimizing intracranial dynamics.
$149 New Patient Special
Includes Private Consultation to discuss your needs & concerns, Gentle Chiropractic Examination to find out what’s wrong, Any necessary X-rays to understand your condition fully, Report of Findings.
