Care Chiropractic • Headache & Migraine Care
When Your Head Hurts…
The Problem May Not Be Your Head.
Headaches can have many causes. We look carefully at your history, neck motion, muscles, posture, and neurological signs to determine whether a cervical or musculoskeletal problem may be contributing—and whether chiropractic care is appropriate.
The Headache Atlas
Where pain starts, where it travels, and what clues may help us understand it.
Upper neck clues
Several possibilities
Tension pattern
Migraine clues
A Headache Is a Symptom—Not a Diagnosis.
Tension-type headache, migraine, cervicogenic headache, and occipital neuralgia can overlap—but they are not the same problem. The first step is sorting out the pattern, screening for warning signs, and understanding what may be driving your symptoms.
Which Headache Sounds Most Like Yours?
These descriptions are educational—not a diagnosis. Headache patterns often overlap, which is why a proper history and examination matter.
Tension-Type Headache
Often feels like pressure or a tight band around the head. Stress, prolonged postures, sleep disruption, and tender neck or scalp muscles may be part of the picture. Your shoulders may also be attempting to become earrings.
Cervicogenic Headache
Head pain attributed to a disorder in the neck. It may begin near the base of the skull, be one-sided, worsen with neck movement, or appear with restricted cervical motion.
Migraine
A neurological disorder—not simply a severe headache. Attacks may include throbbing pain, nausea, light or sound sensitivity, and sometimes aura. Neck pain can occur, but migraine is more complex than a neck problem alone.
Occipital Neuralgia
Irritation of the occipital nerves can cause sharp, shooting, burning, or electric pain beginning near the upper neck or back of the head and traveling into the scalp.
The Headache Atlas
Where your pain begins can provide useful clues. It cannot identify the cause by itself, but it helps guide the questions and examination.
Base of the Skull
May point toward upper-neck joints, suboccipital muscles, occipital nerves, or a cervicogenic pattern—especially when neck motion reproduces the pain.
Temple or Behind One Eye
Can occur with migraine, cervicogenic referral, jaw tension, eye strain, and other conditions. Location alone is not enough to diagnose it.
Forehead or Band-Like Pressure
Common with tension-type headache, though sinus, medication, vision, sleep, and other factors may need consideration.
One-Sided Throbbing
May fit a migraine pattern, particularly with nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. New or unusual symptoms deserve medical evaluation.
Could Your Neck Be Contributing?
How Neck Irritation Can Be Felt as Head Pain
or Injury
Painful Motion
& Sensitivity
Converge
in the Head
Sensory input from the upper cervical region and the trigeminal system meet in closely connected pathways. That helps explain how a problem in the neck may be experienced as pain in the head.
Your Neck Was Not Designed for Eight Hours of Looking Down.
Phones, laptops, long drives, and desk work can keep the neck in one position for hours. The issue is not that one posture is automatically “bad.” The bigger problem is staying there too long without enough movement, variation, or recovery.
Screen Time
Sustained concentration often means less blinking, less movement, and more neck and shoulder tension.
Forward Head Position
As the head drifts forward, the neck muscles work harder to hold it there—especially during long, uninterrupted tasks.
Jaw Clenching
Stress and concentration can increase jaw and temple muscle activity, adding another possible contributor.
Movement Snacks
Brief changes in position, walking, shoulder rolls, and screen breaks are often more realistic than chasing “perfect posture.”
The Headache Decoder: Does This Sound Like You?
“It starts at the base of my skull.”
We examine upper cervical motion, suboccipital muscles, tenderness, nerve sensitivity, and whether neck movement reproduces your familiar pain.
“It builds during the workday.”
We look at sustained postures, screen habits, shoulder tension, jaw clenching, movement frequency, and workstation setup.
“Turning my neck makes it worse.”
Reduced or painful neck motion can be an important clue in a cervicogenic pattern, but it still needs to be interpreted with the full history.
“Light and sound bother me.”
That pattern may fit migraine and deserves appropriate medical management. We evaluate whether neck dysfunction is also present—not assume it is the entire cause.
Migraine Deserves More Than a Quick Label.
Migraine is a neurological disease with many possible influences, including genetics, sleep, hormones, stress, sensory input, and more. Chiropractic care is not a cure for migraine. When a person with migraine also has meaningful neck pain or restricted motion, addressing that musculoskeletal component may be one part of a broader plan.
Migraine clues may include:
✓ Moderate to severe pain
✓ Pulsating or throbbing quality
✓ Nausea or vomiting
✓ Light or sound sensitivity
✓ Symptoms worsened by routine activity
✓ Aura in some—but not all—people
What We Actually Look For
We are not trying to force every headache into a chiropractic explanation. We are looking for evidence that the neck or surrounding tissues are—or are not—part of the problem.
Your Story
Onset, frequency, duration, location, associated symptoms, medication use, triggers, injuries, and what has changed.
Neurological Screen
Strength, sensation, reflexes, coordination, eye findings, and other screening when clinically indicated.
Neck & Joint Motion
Range of motion, symptom reproduction, joint function, tenderness, and movement quality.
Muscles & Posture
Suboccipitals, upper trapezius, jaw, shoulders, breathing patterns, work habits, and sustained positions.
Your Care Plan May Include More Than an Adjustment
The right plan depends on the headache pattern, examination findings, your comfort level, and whether chiropractic care is appropriate at all.
Chiropractic Care
Specific techniques chosen for your needs and comfort—not a one-size-fits-all neck routine.
Soft-Tissue Care
Targeted work for sensitive or overactive muscles around the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
Exercise & Mobility
Simple movements to improve tolerance, control, and confidence between visits.
Ergonomic Coaching
Real-world changes for screens, driving, sleep, work, and the positions you cannot simply avoid.
What Happens at Your Visit?
No dramatic mystery. No scare tactics. We gather the clues, screen for concerns, and explain what makes sense.
1. We Listen
You describe the pattern in your own words. The details matter.
2. We Examine
We evaluate the neck, muscles, posture, and neurological signs as appropriate.
3. We Explain
We tell you what we found, what we did not find, and whether care here is reasonable.
4. We Build a Plan
Treatment, home strategies, referral, or additional evaluation—based on your actual findings.
When a Headache Is Not “Just a Headache”
Seek Immediate Medical Care for New Emergency Warning Signs
This list is not complete. A new, rapidly worsening, or distinctly unusual headache should be evaluated promptly. Call 911 for possible stroke or other emergency symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can neck problems really cause headaches?
Yes. Cervicogenic headache is attributed to a disorder of the cervical spine or its soft tissues. The pattern is established from the history, examination, and evidence that the neck is linked to the familiar headache.
Can chiropractic cure migraine?
No. Migraine is a neurological disorder. Some people with migraine also have neck dysfunction that may be worth addressing, but chiropractic care should not replace appropriate migraine diagnosis and medical treatment.
Will my neck have to be “cracked”?
No single technique is required. Care can be modified based on your findings, preferences, age, comfort, and health history. We explain options before treatment.
Will I need X-rays?
Not automatically. Imaging is recommended when it is clinically indicated, not simply because a person has a headache.
How many visits will I need?
That depends on the diagnosis, severity, duration, exam findings, goals, and response to care. We reassess progress rather than promising a preset number for everyone.
Why Patients Choose Care Chiropractic
We Listen First
Your headache history is not an inconvenience. It is the beginning of the diagnosis.
No Scare Tactics
We explain findings plainly and recommend only what makes clinical sense.
Evidence-Informed
We combine research, clinical judgment, your goals, and your preferences.
We Refer When Needed
Sometimes the best chiropractic decision is knowing when the problem belongs elsewhere.
Your Headache Deserves a Careful Look.
Let us help determine what may be contributing, whether your neck is part of the picture, and what the most appropriate next step should be.
📞 Call 319-377-7331Contact UsCare Chiropractic • Marion, Iowa • Conveniently across from Marion Hy-Vee