Migraines are more than just “bad headaches.” They’re complex neurological conditions that can affect your entire body, your vision, balance, mood, digestion, and even your ability to think clearly. For many people, migraines can be so severe they interfere with work, relationships, and quality of life.
Fortunately, understanding where migraines come from and how to treat them effectively has evolved dramatically in recent years. At our clinic, we combine chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, regenerative medicine, and advanced modalities like cold laser therapy, acoustic shockwave, and TX360® treatments to address migraines from multiple angles.
Let’s break down what migraines are, why they happen, and how each of these therapies can play a role in lasting relief.
What Exactly Is a Migraine?
Migraine is a type of headache disorder involving the nervous system, blood vessels, and muscles of the head and neck. Unlike a simple tension headache, migraines often come with additional symptoms such as:
- Pulsating or throbbing pain (often on one side of the head)
- Sensitivity to light, sound, or smells
- Nausea or vomiting
- Visual disturbances (“aura”), such as flashing lights or blind spots
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Fatigue or brain fog before or after the migraine attack
Migraines typically occur in stages: a prodrome (warning signs), aura (in some cases), the attack phase (pain), and a postdrome (the “migraine hangover”).
While many think migraines start in the head, research shows that they actually begin in the brainstem and nervous system, often triggered by chemical, physical, or environmental changes.
$49 New Patient Special
Includes Consultation, History, Exam & Diagnostic Imaging If Necessary.
Medicare & Medicaid Excluded.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Get To The
Root Cause
Step one is uncovering what’s really driving your pain. Through detailed evaluations, advanced imaging, and hands-on assessments, we identify the root cause—not just the symptoms—so your care plan directly targets the source for lasting results.
2. All Hands
On Deck
Once we know the cause, our full team gets involved. Chiropractors, physical therapists, medical staff, and massage therapists collaborate to create a unified treatment plan, combining their expertise to address every angle of your condition for faster, stronger recovery.
3. Fix It &
Forget It
The final step is lasting results. We correct the problem, strengthen your body, and provide tools to prevent issues from returning. With restored function and long-term relief, you can get back to living life without constant pain or worry.
How We Treat Migraines In Bloomfield Hills, MI
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
To get started on the road to recovery, each new patient meets with a doctor for a comprehensive consultation and physical examination. They are interested in hearing your account of this issue – how frequently they occur and how they affect your life. We can better pinpoint your needs and provide informed recommendations for treatment after we have a firm grasp on how your ailment has impacted every aspect of your life.
The exam consists of neurologic, orthopedic, and functional mobility tests to assess your spinal cord and neurological system’s present state of health. Subluxation (an improperly moving or misaligned vertebrae) may be at the foundation of your condition, so we’ll also look at your spine. We’ll also check your posture because it may be a component of why your issue has persisted for so long.
Specific Chiropractic Care In Bloomfield Hills, MI
Chiropractic care focuses on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. When the bones of the neck or upper back are misaligned (a condition called subluxation), it can create irritation or pressure on surrounding nerves. For migraine sufferers, this is especially important in the upper cervical spine, the top two vertebrae in the neck.
How Chiropractic Helps:
- Restores spinal alignment – Gentle adjustments improve the alignment and motion of the neck, which helps reduce pressure on nerves that contribute to migraine pain.
- Improves blood flow – Better alignment means improved blood circulation to the brain and surrounding tissues.
- Reduces nerve irritation – By decreasing inflammation and tension around the nerves, chiropractic care can reduce migraine frequency and intensity.
- Promotes overall nervous system balance – Regular adjustments help restore communication between the brain and body, which can stabilize triggers like stress and muscle tension.
Many patients report that with consistent chiropractic care, their migraines become less severe, less frequent, and easier to manage.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy plays a key role in strengthening and retraining the muscles that support the neck and shoulders. When these muscles are weak or unbalanced, they can contribute to poor posture and chronic tension—two major migraine triggers.
Physical Therapy Benefits:
- Postural correction – Exercises and stretches help retrain your posture to take strain off the neck and upper back.
- Neck mobility and stability – Gentle mobilizations and strengthening exercises can reduce stiffness and improve movement patterns.
- Trigger point release – Therapists can identify and treat specific muscle knots (myofascial trigger points) that refer pain to the head and neck.
- Education and home care – You’ll learn how to move, sit, and sleep in ways that support spinal health and prevent recurrence.
When combined with chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy helps reinforce spinal correction and promotes long-term migraine prevention.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is more than just relaxation—it’s a powerful therapeutic tool for migraine relief. Many migraines begin with tight, inflamed muscles that restrict blood flow and irritate nearby nerves.
How Massage Therapy Helps:
- Relieves muscle tension – Loosens the neck, shoulders, and scalp muscles that can contribute to headaches.
- Improves circulation – Enhances oxygen delivery to the brain and tissues, which can ease pain and promote healing.
- Reduces stress hormones – Lowers cortisol levels and promotes the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.
- Addresses trigger points – Manual therapy techniques can deactivate knots that cause referred head pain.
For chronic migraine patients, regular massage sessions can greatly reduce both the intensity and duration of episodes.
Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine takes healing to the next level by encouraging the body’s own repair processes. For migraine sufferers with chronic muscle tension, joint degeneration, or nerve inflammation, regenerative treatments can help restore function and reduce pain at the source.
Possible Regenerative Options Include:
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) – Uses components from your own blood to stimulate tissue healing and reduce inflammation.
- Amniotic or cellular allografts – Contain natural growth factors and proteins that support nerve and tissue repair.
These treatments target underlying inflammation and tissue damage that can perpetuate migraine pain, especially when standard methods haven’t provided enough relief. When paired with chiropractic and physical therapy, regenerative medicine offers a way to truly heal—not just manage—chronic migraine triggers.
Cold Laser Therapy (Low-Level Laser Therapy)
Cold laser therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to penetrate tissues and stimulate cellular repair. It’s called “cold” because it doesn’t produce heat—making it safe, painless, and noninvasive.
Benefits of Cold Laser for Migraines:
- Reduces inflammation in muscles and nerves
- Promotes cellular energy production (ATP), accelerating tissue healing
- Improves nerve function and reduces pain signals
- Enhances blood and lymph flow to remove waste and toxins that contribute to pain
Applied to the neck, base of the skull, or even the temples, cold laser therapy can calm overactive nerves and relax tense muscles. Many patients report feeling relief within minutes of treatment, with benefits that build over time.
Acoustic Shockwave Therapy
Acoustic shockwave therapy is another advanced, non-invasive technique used to break up chronic muscle tension and stimulate tissue repair. It works by delivering controlled acoustic pulses into tight or inflamed tissues, promoting blood flow and the release of natural healing factors.
How It Helps Migraine Patients:
- Releases deep muscle knots that may not respond to massage alone
- Increases circulation and reduces local inflammation
- Stimulates healing in chronically tight or damaged tissues of the neck and shoulders
- Decreases frequency and severity of migraines triggered by muscular tension
When used in conjunction with chiropractic and massage therapy, acoustic shockwave can provide deep, lasting relief from chronic neck tension—the hidden driver behind many migraine cases.
TX360®: Targeted Relief for the Trigeminal Nerve
The TX360® procedure is an innovative treatment specifically designed for patients suffering from chronic migraines or headaches related to trigeminal nerve irritation. The trigeminal nerve is a major sensory nerve of the head and face—and it’s often the primary pathway of pain during a migraine.
What the TX360® Does:
- Delivers a small amount of medication directly to the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) a nerve cluster associated with migraine pain.
- The treatment is quick, minimally invasive, and done through the nasal passages using a soft applicator.
- By calming this nerve center, it can interrupt the pain cycle, reduce inflammation, and decrease migraine frequency.
For patients who have tried other therapies without success, TX360® can be a breakthrough solution—especially when combined with corrective care and supportive therapies.
The Power of a Multidisciplinary Approach
What makes our approach effective is that we don’t treat migraines as just headache problems. we treat them as a full-body issue involving the nervous system, muscles, joints, and blood flow.
Here’s how our combination therapy works together:
- Chiropractic
- Restores alignment & nerve function
- Reduces pressure on nerves that trigger migraines
- Physical Therapy
- Strengthens posture & mobility
- Prevents muscular and postural strain
- Massage Therapy
- Relieves tension & stress
- Improves circulation and relaxation
- Regenerative Medicine
- Heals damaged tissue
- Reduces chronic inflammation
- Cold Laser
- Stimulates cellular repair
- Decreases nerve pain and inflammation
- Acoustic Shockwave
- Breaks up chronic tightness
- Promotes deep tissue healing
- TX360®
- Calms trigeminal nerve
- Directly reduces migraine pain pathways
When these treatments are coordinated together, they address both the root causes and symptoms of migraines—offering long-term, natural, and drug-free relief.
Taking the Next Step Toward Relief
Migraines can take over your life—but they don’t have to. Whether your headaches stem from stress, posture, muscle tightness, or nerve irritation, there are effective, non-surgical options to help you heal.
Our integrated team of chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and regenerative medicine specialists work together to design a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Using modern technologies like cold laser, acoustic shockwave, and TX360®, we can reduce inflammation, restore proper function, and give you the lasting relief you deserve.
If you’ve been living with migraines, don’t settle for short-term fixes. Let’s find and fix the cause—so you can get back to living pain-free.
Common Causes of Migraines in Bloomfield Hills, MI
Migraines are often caused by a combination of triggers, not one single issue. Some of the most common include:
- Neck and spinal dysfunction – Misalignments in the upper cervical spine can irritate nerves and restrict blood flow to the brain. This can contribute to the onset of migraines or tension-type headaches.
- Muscle tension – Tightness in the neck, shoulders, and jaw can compress nerves or restrict circulation.
- Nerve irritation – The trigeminal nerve, which carries pain signals from the face and head, plays a key role in migraines. Irritation or inflammation of this nerve is often a major factor.
- Stress and posture – Emotional stress and poor posture can both lead to chronic muscle strain and nerve compression.
- Hormonal fluctuations – Changes in estrogen levels, particularly in women, can trigger migraines.
- Dehydration or poor nutrition – Skipping meals, lack of hydration, or food sensitivities can lead to chemical imbalances in the body.
- Sleep disturbances – Irregular sleep patterns or poor sleep quality are strongly linked to migraine episodes.
Because migraines often have multiple underlying causes, a single treatment approach is rarely enough. That’s why an integrated, multidisciplinary plan can be so effective.
Check Out Our Location Near You
36800 Woodward Ave Suite 210, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
$49 New Patient Special
Includes Consultation, History, Exam & Diagnostic Imaging If Necessary.
Medicare & Medicaid Excluded.