Written by Dr. Sam McDonald, DC (Colorado Chiropractic License CHR.0007574), Omega Functional Health.

When migraines start running your calendar, you want someone who can actually help. So you search “migraine specialist near me” and get a mix of neurology clinics, headache centers, physical therapists, and chiropractors, all promising relief.

They are not interchangeable. Each one looks at migraine from a different angle, and the right choice depends on what your migraines look like and what you have already tried.

This guide walks through the options, what each one is best at, where a migraine chiropractor fits, and what to ask before you book.

What kinds of migraine providers are there?

• Primary care physicians. Often the first stop. They can diagnose migraine, start acute and preventive medication, and coordinate care.
• Neurologists and headache specialists. Physicians with advanced training in headache disorders. They manage complex medication plans, newer migraine-specific treatments, and procedures such as nerve blocks or Botox for chronic migraine.
• Physical therapists. Helpful for neck mobility, posture, strength, and in some cases vestibular rehab for dizziness.
• Chiropractors. Focus on the spine, especially the neck, and how it affects the nervous system. Approaches vary widely from office to office.

Many people do best with more than one of these working together. Medication can calm the migraine brain while other care looks at what may be keeping it on edge.

Where does a migraine chiropractor fit in?

Honestly, the research on chiropractic care for migraine is mixed. Some studies suggest spinal manipulation may reduce migraine days and pain, but recent reviews rate the certainty of that evidence as low. A good migraine chiropractor should tell you that up front.

Where chiropractic care may add something is in the neck and the balance system. Most people with migraine also have neck pain, and the upper neck shares wiring with the migraine pain system in the brainstem. Dizziness and motion sensitivity are common too. If either of those is feeding into your migraines, they are worth evaluating. We break this down in Chiropractor for Migraines: Why the Upper Neck, Balance System, and Tissue All Matter.

Which migraines are the best fit for chiropractic care?

The people we see who tend to be the best fit share a few things:

• Neck pain or stiffness that reliably shows up before or during attacks
• Migraines that tend to start on the same side as a tighter side of the neck
• Attacks that follow long periods of driving, desk work, or looking down
• Dizziness, unsteadiness, or motion sensitivity along with the headaches
• Migraines that became more frequent after a car accident or neck injury
• Migraines and neck pain that have not responded to medications or other interventions

If that list sounds like you, our article on cervicogenic migraine explains how the neck and the migraine system are connected.

What should you look for in a chiropractor for migraines near you?

• A real migraine history. Frequency, triggers, medications, and how your neck behaves around attacks.
• A focused look at the upper neck. Not just a general spinal check.
• Balance and eye movement testing. Because the balance system is involved for so many people with migraine.
• Measurements at the start. So progress can be tracked instead of guessed.
• Honesty about the evidence. No promises of a cure.
• Respect for your medical care. They should work alongside your physician, not ask you to stop your medication if its helping.
• Clear pricing. You should know the cost before care begins.

Questions worth asking before you book

• How often do you work with people who have migraine, not just headaches?
• What does your evaluation include besides an adjustment?
• Do you test balance or eye movement?
• How will we know within the first few weeks whether care is helping?
• How do you coordinate with my physician or neurologist?
• What will this cost, and do you bill insurance?

What is upper cervical chiropractic, and why does it matter for migraine?

Upper cervical chiropractic focuses on the very top of the neck, where the skull sits on the spine. That is the same region whose nerves meet the migraine pain pathways in the brainstem.

Think of it like a picture frame hanging slightly crooked. You can straighten everything else on the wall, but if the nail at the top is off, the frame keeps tilting. Upper cervical care uses precise measurements, including a posture check of your weight distribution, hip and shoulder rotation, and head and neck tilt, to guide gentle, specific corrections at the top of the neck.

It is one part of the Omega Method, alongside vestibular rehab (balance and eye movement retraining) and focused shockwave for stubborn tissue that never fully healed.

What does a first visit look like at Omega Functional Health?

• Complimentary consultation. We talk through your migraine history and goals and decide together whether an assessment makes sense.
• Assessment. Balance and eye movement testing, a postural analysis, and an examination of your upper neck.
• Report visit. Ideally within a day or two, we walk through what we found and what we recommend before any care starts.
• Care and progress checks. Care is weighted to your findings and re-checked along the way.

We are a private-pay practice and do not bill insurance. Costs are explained up front, before care begins.

What if you have already tried a chiropractor for migraines?

That is common. Many people we see have had general adjustments, massage, or physical therapy and felt better for a few days before the migraines came back.

Often only one piece was addressed. The neck was adjusted, but nobody checked why it kept losing its position. The tight muscles were worked on, but nobody looked at the balance system that may have been making those muscles work overtime. A different evaluation does not guarantee a different result, but it is a fair question to ask any new provider: what will you look at that was not looked at before?

Does a chiropractor replace a neurologist or headache specialist?

No. Physicians, neurologists, and headache specialists play an essential role in migraine care, and chiropractic care can work alongside them. Do not stop or change migraine medication without talking with your prescriber. A sudden, severe headache unlike any you have had before, or a headache with weakness, confusion, fever, or changes in vision or speech, is an emergency.

Who may be a good fit at our office?

• Adults with migraines that travel with neck pain or stiffness
• People with migraine plus dizziness or motion sensitivity
• Anyone whose migraines worsened after a neck injury or car accident
• People who want a clear explanation of what may be feeding their migraines before starting care

What does the research say?

Neck pain is present in most people with migraine, roughly 12 times more often than in people without headaches. A 2019 meta-analysis suggested spinal manipulation may modestly reduce migraine days and pain intensity, while a 2024 updated review judged the evidence very low certainty. American Headache Society guidance continues to center migraine care on acute and preventive treatment, which is why we see our role as complementary.

What we do and do not claim

We do not claim that chiropractic care cures migraine or that any result is guaranteed. We do commit to a thorough evaluation, an honest explanation of what we find, and care that is measured and adjusted along the way.

Serving the Denver metro

Omega Functional Health is located at 6650 W 44th Ave #2b in Wheat Ridge, a short drive from Denver, Arvada, Lakewood, Golden, and Littleton. If your headaches tend to start at the neck rather than behaving like classic migraine, our guide to choosing a headache chiropractor may also help. When you are ready, we would be glad to hear what you have been dealing with.

Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

References

• Ailani J, Burch RC, Robbins MS; Board of Directors of the American Headache Society. The American Headache Society Consensus Statement: update on integrating new migraine treatments into clinical practice. Headache. 2021;61(7):1021-1039.
• Al-Khazali HM, Younis S, Al-Sayegh Z, Ashina S, Ashina M, Schytz HW. Prevalence of neck pain in migraine: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cephalalgia. 2022;42(7):663-673.
• Rist PM, Hernandez A, Bernstein C, et al. The impact of spinal manipulation on migraine pain and disability: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Headache. 2019;59(4):532-542.
• Posadzki P, Klimek AT, Ernst E. Spinal manipulations for migraine: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Systematic Reviews. 2024;13:296.
• Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2011;34(5):274-289.