Can Chiropractic Adjustment Help with Migraines in Cornelius NC?

For many years now, patients have been utilizing chiropractic adjustment to help alleviate a multitude of symptoms. These symptoms are often the result of underlying diseases and/or conditions and can wreak havoc on the body and mind if left untreated. One issue that people often cite as a motivator for seeking chiropractic adjustment is migraines. At best migraines can be a nuisance, and at worst, they can be debilitating, seriously threatening one’s quality of life. Whether your symptoms are mild or severe, everyone deserves to feel relief.


Before undergoing any sort of procedure, it can be helpful and reassuring to learn more about how the process works and what to expect. In this post, we tackle the issues of migraines and delve into the relationship between migraines and chiropractic adjustment. Most importantly, can chiropractic adjustment help with migraines?

What are the Differences Between Migraines and Headaches?

Knowing more about the issue at hand can enlighten patients and medical professionals on ways it can be treated. Especially, when you consider that migraines and headaches are closely related.  Both share a lot of the same symptoms, and either one often motivates patients to seek out help.

Headaches are commonplace and can often be triggered by different stimuli. Furthermore, the vast majority of people will experience headaches on at least a few occasions, making it easy to discard a headache as uneventful. However, when does a headache constitute alarm, and how many migraines are masquerading as headaches? According to Brandeis Brockman, CRNP, BSN, MSN, and nurse practitioner, “migraines impact over 37 million men, women, and children in the United States, but fewer than 5 percent of those affected have been accurately diagnosed and received appropriate care”.

When most people hear the term ‘migraine’ they often simply categorize it as a “severe headache”. However, headaches are only one symptom of migraines, and they range in severity and length. “Migraines are a neurological disease that involves nerve pathways and chemicals,” Brockman explained in an article penned by the University of Pennsylvania’s school of medicine.

The changes in brain activity directly affect blood in the brain and surrounding tissues, causing a

range of symptoms. Migraine sufferers will often experience severe headaches in addition to nausea, dizziness, extreme fatigue, and light sensitivity. Migraines can occur in 4 different phases, the prodrome phase, the aura phase, the headache phase, and the postdrome phase. During these phases, the sufferer can experience all sorts of symptoms including (but not limited to): mood swings, food cravings, sensory disturbances, blind spots, blurred vision, headaches, and general sensitivity to stimulation of all sorts.

What is Chiropractic Adjustment and How is it Performed?

Now that you have some bassline knowledge regarding migraines, we’ll do the same for chiropractic adjustment by briefly discussing what it is and how it’s carried out.


A chiropractic adjustment is a procedure where trained professionals (Cornelius chiropractors) use their hands, or sometimes a small instrument, to forcefully apply a controlled jolt to the spinal joint. This procedure is also known as spinal manipulation, and it has many benefits alongside improving spinal motion and the body’s overall physical function.


Most commonly, the chiropractic adjustment is used to treat lower back pain, neck pain, and headaches. However, it can also assist with mitigating the symptoms of:

  • Arthritis
  • General Joint Pain
  • Whiplash, in particular, is the result of accidents.
  • Sciatica

and more.

Chiropractic Care

Will Chiropractic Adjustment Help with my Migraines?

Now that you understand more about migraines and the reasonings behind chiropractic adjustment, the question remains, “will the adjustment help with my migraines?” Fortunately, several medical studies have found that chiropractic adjustment can help with improving migraine frequency and duration. However, several of these studies suggest that not all patients experienced relief, and so as with any sort of medical procedure, your mileage may vary. Moreover, it is worth noting that there is no definitive cure for migraines, making it unrealistic to rely on any one procedure or medicine to completely eradicate the neurological issue.


With somewhat mixed results, should you seek out chiropractic adjustment to help with migraines? Given the reports that many sufferers have found chiropractic adjustment to be effective in alleviating symptoms, it is worth talking to your chiropractor about. While we’ve already established that headaches and migraines are different, they do share certain qualities, and headaches are often cited as a motivator for patients who seek out alternative care. Many people have found that their headaches improved dramatically after undergoing chiropractic adjustment. In essence, it’s always worth at least having a conversation about, especially with a reputable chiropractor.

The Importance of Finding a Reputable Chiropractor

Any chiropractor who says that migraines can be cured with chiropractic adjustment is disingenuous. While the benefits of chiropractic adjustment are well-known and documented, each individual has their health journey to consider. Simply put, what helps one patient won’t necessarily help another, and vice versa. This is why it’s important to consult members of your medical team and staff so that you can get a bigger picture of how certain procedures work and what they aim to assist with.

Like most medical professionals, not all chiropractors are created equally. It is crucial to find a chiropractor whom you trust, who will actively listen to your complaints and symptoms, giving you honest and forthright feedback about how to best move forward. While chiropractic adjustment can be extraordinarily helpful for many individuals, it’s still a good idea to have extended conversations with medical professionals, as a means to get the most advantageous outcomes. Additionally, the more transparent you are with your chiropractor, the better equipped they’ll be in making recommendations and helping you take the next step for your overall health and wellness.

Bottom Line? Your Results May Vary.

Given the somewhat inconclusive results regarding chiropractic adjustment’s success in treating

migraines, it’s probably best to remain cautiously optimistic about the procedure. Even so, there are a lot of sufferers who have found success with alleviating their migraine symptoms, ergo, it can be worth a try, if not, it at least might warrant a conversation with a reputable Chiropractor Cornelius NC.

At Lakeside Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy in Cornelius, NC, Dr. Jennifer Lidstrom and her team of experts is here to help answer all your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

Disclaimer:

The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician, or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Lakeside Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy or its staff. Lakeside Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy does not endorse or recommend any specific treatment, product, procedure, or opinion mentioned in this blog post.
Reliance on any information provided in this blog post is solely at your own risk. Lakeside Sports Chiropractic and Physical Therapy and its staff will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages arising out of the use of, or reliance on, the content provided in this blog post.
While we make every effort to ensure that the information provided in this blog post is accurate and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its completeness or accuracy. The information in this blog post may be subject to change without notice.
Any links provided in this blog post are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of the linked website or its content.
By reading this blog post, you acknowledge and agree to the above disclaimer. If you do not agree with this disclaimer, please refrain from accessing or using the information provided in this blog post.
Skip to content CHIROPRACTOR CORNELIUS, NC