CONDITIONS
Headache and Migraine Treatment in Portland, OR
Headaches can have many causes, including muscle tension, neck joint dysfunction, posture, injury, stress, and neurological conditions such as migraine. When headaches are associated with neck pain, whiplash, muscle tension, or restricted movement in the cervical spine, identifying those contributing factors may help guide appropriate treatment.
At Graffeo Accident & Injury Clinic, our Portland chiropractors evaluate the musculoskeletal factors that may contribute to headaches and provide non-invasive, non-surgical chiropractic care designed to improve neck mobility, reduce muscle tension, and help manage headache symptoms. If you’re looking for headache or migraine treatment in Portland, our team can help determine whether chiropractic care is appropriate for you.
Common Types of Headaches We Treat
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches typically cause dull, pressure-like pain that may feel like a band around the forehead or both sides of the head. Muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back, prolonged desk work, stress, posture, and injuries such as whiplash may contribute to headache symptoms in some patients.
Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic headaches originate from structures in the cervical spine and can sometimes resemble migraines or tension headaches. Treatment focuses on addressing contributing neck joint dysfunction, restricted mobility, muscle tension, and other musculoskeletal factors identified during your evaluation.
Post-Trauma Headaches
Not every headache should be treated with chiropractic care initially. Seek immediate medical attention for a sudden severe headache, a headache following significant head trauma, loss of consciousness, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, repeated vomiting, seizure, new vision loss, fever with a stiff neck, or rapidly worsening neurological symptoms.
If your symptoms suggest a condition outside the scope of chiropractic care, our doctors will recommend appropriate medical evaluation or referral. If you were recently in a collision, learn more about our whiplash treatment.
Migraines
Migraines are a neurological condition that can cause recurring headache attacks along with nausea and sensitivity to light, sound, or other stimuli. Chiropractic care does not cure migraines, but for some patients, addressing accompanying neck stiffness, muscle tension, posture, or restricted cervical movement may be one part of a broader migraine management plan.
Common Causes of Headaches and Migraines
Many headaches originate in the neck and upper spine, not the head itself. Neck misalignment, muscle tightness, and nerve irritation in the cervical spine can all refer pain upward, which is why headaches so often follow a neck injury. Without identifying the true source, headaches tend to persist or worsen over time.
Common causes include:
- Cervical spine misalignment or joint irritation
- Muscle tension and spasm in the neck and upper back
- Whiplash or soft tissue injury from a car accident
- Herniated or bulging discs in the cervical spine
- Postural strain from prolonged screen use (“text neck”)
- Pinched nerve or nerve compression in the neck
- Stress-related muscle tension
- Work or activity-related repetitive strain
Symptoms to Watch For with Headaches and Migraines
Symptoms vary depending on the type of headache, but these are the ones we see most often:
- Dull, aching, or pressure-like head pain
- Throbbing or pulsating pain, often with migraines
- Pain that begins at the base of the skull and moves forward
- Sensitivity to light, sound, or smell
- Nausea
- Blurry vision
- Neck stiffness or soreness accompanying head pain
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches that worsen with movement or certain positions
Chiropractic Care for Headaches and Migraines
Your care starts with a thorough evaluation, including a postural analysis, a complete health history, and a referral for imaging if your case calls for it. From there, we build a treatment plan around the specific factors contributing to your headaches.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Spinal manipulation, including gentle neck adjustments, is designed to restore alignment in the cervical spine and reduce the nerve pressure and joint irritation that contribute to headache patterns. For tension and cervicogenic headaches, adjustments can support both short-term relief and long-term prevention.
Soft Tissue Therapy & One-Hour Massage Sessions
Hands-on therapy relieves the muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back that can trigger or worsen headaches. Our one-hour massage sessions give tight tissue the time it actually needs to release.
Corrective Exercises & Rehabilitation
Targeted exercises strengthen the muscles that support your cervical spine and improve posture. For patients managing chronic migraines, rehabilitation is part of a treatment plan focused on prevention, not just relief.
Postural & Ergonomic Guidance
We address the daily habits that keep headaches coming back, from screen posture and workstation setup to sleep positioning and movement throughout the day.
Get Headache and Migraine Relief in Portland
You don’t have to keep living with chronic headaches or severe migraines. If you’re looking for natural relief without medication or surgery, our team will help you identify the source of your pain and develop a plan to address it. Call (503) 255-5522 today to schedule your evaluation online. Proudly serving NE Portland, Gresham, Rockwood, Troutdale, and Fairview.
Frequently Asked Questions: Headaches and Migraines
Pain at the base of the skull usually comes from the neck: tight muscles, joint irritation in the upper cervical spine, or nerve irritation from poor posture or spinal misalignment. Long screen hours, stress, whiplash injuries, and awkward sleep positions are common contributors to tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches, which start in the neck rather than the head itself. Chiropractic care focuses on relieving pressure in the upper neck through adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and posture correction.
Chiropractors most often help with tension headaches and cervicogenic headaches, the types that start in the neck due to muscle tension, joint restriction, posture problems, or spinal misalignment. Chiropractic care may also reduce the frequency and severity of migraine symptoms by improving neck mobility and calming nerve irritation, and some patients with cluster headaches seek chiropractic care for the neck tension that accompanies them. At Graffeo Accident & Injury Clinic, treatment targets the cause of the headache rather than masking symptoms. Call our tension headache chiropractors at (503) 255-5522 to schedule an evaluation.
Yes, daily headaches often trace back to a physical cause that a chiropractor can address, like ongoing muscle tension, poor posture, or joint restriction in the neck. When headaches show up most days, medication alone tends to mask the pattern rather than break it. An evaluation identifies what’s driving the recurrence so treatment can target it directly. Graffeo Accident & Injury Clinic sees patients across NE Portland, Gresham, Rockwood, Troutdale, and Fairview dealing with chronic, near-daily headaches.
No chiropractic treatment can guarantee instant headache relief. Some patients with tension or cervicogenic headaches report improvement after treatment, particularly when neck stiffness or restricted movement contributes to their symptoms. Other headaches require ongoing treatment or medical management depending on their cause. The popping sound sometimes heard during an adjustment is caused by changes in pressure within the joint and is not what produces the therapeutic effect.
Chiropractic care may be appropriate for some people with migraines, but the first step is determining whether there are symptoms that require medical or neurological evaluation. Migraine itself is a neurological condition. When chiropractic care is appropriate, treatment may focus on accompanying neck stiffness, muscle tension, posture, and cervical mobility rather than treating migraine as a spinal disorder.
Treatment length varies depending on the type of headache, how long symptoms have been present, whether a neck injury is involved, and how your body responds to care. Some patients notice improvement relatively early, while chronic headache conditions may require a longer treatment plan. At Graffeo Accident & Injury Clinic, we create a personalized treatment plan after a full evaluation. Call (503) 255-5522 to see a chiropractor for your headache today.
Yes. Headaches related to whiplash may begin immediately or develop after the accident as neck stiffness, muscle tension, and other symptoms become more noticeable. Headaches that appear after a collision should be evaluated, particularly when accompanied by dizziness, nausea, confusion, vision changes, numbness, weakness, or worsening pain.
