Migraines have always been close to my heart. My father struggled with them when I was younger — the kind that could stop him in his tracks for hours.

After trying different medications and medical tests, real change only came when he saw a chiropractor. Watching him recover and regain control of his life inspired me to become one myself. Since then, I’ve met many people whose lives are shaped around migraine days. The good news is that with the right understanding and approach, that story can change.

A migraine isn’t just a “bad headache.” It’s more like a chain reaction between the brain, blood vessels, and nerves — particularly the trigeminal nerve, which acts as the main communication line for sensation across the head and face.
Think of the trigeminal nerve as a tree with three main branches: one to the jaw, one to the cheek, and one — the ophthalmic branch — travelling around the eyes and forehead. During a migraine, chemical changes inside the brain and brainstem cause blood vessels around this area to tighten and then quickly widen again.
Imagine turning a tap on and off — pressure builds, releases, and builds again — creating that familiar pulsing, throbbing sensation often felt behind one eye or on one side of the head.

Often migraines can also go hand in hand with tension headaches exaserbating symptoms!

When migraines intensify, many people naturally increase their medication just to get by. Unfortunately, this can sometimes make things worse. Over-reliance on painkillers can lead to what’s known as medication-overuse headaches.
It’s a little like turning up the volume on a speaker that’s already too loud — your body becomes hypersensitive to pain signals. Instead of calming the system, it ends up stuck in an overactive loop. The aim of long-term care should be to restore balance, not just silence symptoms.

Chiropractic care focuses on improving how the neck and upper back move and function, areas closely linked to migraine patterns. Through careful assessment and gentle, precise adjustments, we aim to reduce tightness and restore ease of movement through the neck and upper back, with specific chiropractic manipulation techniques.
This enhances muscle and nerve function, supporting the body’s ability to regulate itself naturally in turn improving posture and spinal balance, especially for those spending long hours at a desk or on a phone. Once the pain has reduced we also provide specific exercises aiming for supporting changes in the long term.
When the neck and upper back move freely, the surrounding muscles and nerves can work in better harmony — helping to reduce the triggers that set migraines off and promoting a calmer, more stable nervous system.

Lasting change often comes from the small habits that support recovery every day. Alongside chiropractic care, we often guide patients through simple postural corrections for workstation or phone use. Gentle neck and shoulder stretches  keeps muscles relaxed,  practical hydration and nutrition tips help prevention further episodes and easy relaxation tools, like deep breathing or short walks to help quieten the nervous system.
These strategies sound simple, but together they can make a powerful difference in reducing both the frequency and intensity of migraines.

If your migraines are becoming stronger, more frequent, or you find yourself increasing medication just to cope, it’s time for a thorough assessment. Chiropractic care can help determine whether tension, posture, or movement patterns in your spine are contributing — and provide a safe, natural path forward.

Migraines can be exhausting, unpredictable, and often misunderstood. But understanding what’s happening inside your body — and addressing the mechanical and neurological factors behind it — can be the turning point.
As someone who’s seen firsthand how transformative the right approach can be, my goal is simple: to help people move freely, feel balanced, and live life with fewer migraines holding them back.
If you’re ready to explore a natural, hands-on approach to migraine care, myself, Dr Georgious and our team at the Hampstead Chiropractic Clinic would be delighted to help.

Hampstead Chiropractic Clinic – London