Patient Success Story From Frequent Migraines to Zero for a Veteran Brent came to see me with migraines three or four times a week, some mild, some that shut his whole day down. Prescriptions weren't giving him relief, and he'd started to accept that fighting for a good day was just how life worked now. He's a retired military veteran who was referred to us through the VA, and he now does civilian work that keeps him traveling. He came in with a long history of low back pain, neck pain, and migraines that had followed him through his entire adult life and got worse during his years in the service. We started care at our Plymouth office, which is where we see patients from Hamel, Maple Grove, and across the West Metro who are looking for Headache & Migraine Relief without adding another prescription. Key Takeaways THE CHALLENGEThree or four migraines a week, many of them lasting 10 to 14 hours, with medication no longer providing relief. THE CARE PLANManual diversified adjustments to the upper cervical and thoracic spine, drop table work, in-house massage therapy, and home stretches to decompress the neck. THE RESULTBy week eight he had his first full week in over a year without a single migraine, and he's now on a once-a-month wellness schedule. His history pointed us toward the neck right away. He told me his neck pain traveled with his migraines, which is one of the clearest tells I see in practice. If the headaches are coming from restricted joints and tight muscles in the upper neck, then managing them with medication only treats the symptom, and I'd rather work on the root cause and see whether we can get ahead of it. Project Summary Client Profile: Retired military veteran, referred through the VA, now working a civilian job with heavy travel Project Location: Plymouth, Minnesota (West Metro, Twin Cities) Primary Objective: Reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of chronic migraines through Cervical Spine Care rather than added medication Techniques Used: Manual diversified adjusting of the upper cervical spine, drop table for the thoracic spine, trigger point and active stretching, plus weekly in-house massage therapy, drawn from our full range of Chiropractic Techniques Key Outcome: Migraines dropped from three or four a week to one a week by week six, and zero by week eight What His Neck X-Rays Showed Every patient here gets the same starting point regardless of insurance: a detailed history covering past injuries, medications, and family history, then a thorough exam with neurological testing, orthopedic testing, and range of motion. In his case I also took X-rays so we could see exactly what was happening in his spine, and we reviewed the images together right after I took them. Your neck is supposed to have a nice C curve when you look at it from the side. His had next to none; it was almost straight. I see that often in people who carried heavy packs for years without much chance to decompress, and I see it in the general public from looking down at a phone all day. The bigger finding was at C1 and C2 in the upper cervical region, which is the area I look at hardest with migraine sufferers. Between the suboccipital muscle tightness, the general neck tightness, and degeneration in parts of the cervical spine, the link to his headaches was pretty much a no-brainer. Adjusting the Upper Cervical Spine I used manual diversified adjustments with him, which is the hands-on approach. He'd lie on his back, I'd use my index finger to contact the restricted joint, rotate his head to the side, and give a thrust into that specific segment. Early on I also used the drop table, because his thoracic spine was extremely tight and the mid-back needs to move well for the upper neck to have good biomechanics. "The relief was immediate. The migraines didn't stop outright, but within the first week there was a significant decrease in the number, and intensity." - (Brent, Patient) The soft tissue work is what made the adjustments hold. When his muscles were fighting us and not allowing enough movement, I used active stretching with trigger point work to get those tight muscles to relax, and he got in-house massage therapy about once a week. We also went through stretches he could do at home to open up and decompress his neck between visits. Insurance shaped the schedule more than I'd have liked. The VA authorizes 12 visits over a three-month window, which works out to about once a week, and what he needed up front was two to three times a week. He also carried civilian coverage, so we were able to use his Blue Cross Blue Shield Coverage to get him the frequency his body actually needed, and Shawna walked him through the authorization and billing side so there were no surprises. From Weekly Migraines to None His first week brought an immediate change in frequency, duration, and severity. After that it was hit or miss for a stretch, which is normal while we're still catching up to the problem; he'd get one here and there, but it wouldn't last as long. By week five or six he was down to roughly one a week, and by week eight he had none at all, which he'd never had before. Travel was our one real obstacle. When his work took him away and we let two weeks go by between appointments, the neck tightness and the headaches started creeping back, which told me consistency was doing the work. He's on a Wellness Chiropractic Care plan now, roughly once every three weeks to a month when he's in town. No insurance, VA or traditional, covers maintenance care, so we moved him onto a cash plan so he could keep it going affordably. To me, that progression says his body is actually healing rather than just getting temporary relief. He still feels his neck tighten up after a long trip, but it's nowhere near what it was, and the migraines aren't running his weeks anymore. Living With Migraines in Plymouth? We've worked with hundreds of VA patients, and migraines that travel with neck pain are something I see every week here in Plymouth. I'll always tell you honestly whether I think chiropractic is the right fit for what you're dealing with, and if it isn't, I'd rather point you toward the provider who is. Dealing with headaches that medication isn't touching? Take the first step and let's look at your neck together. Bomberg Chiropractic 15600 35th Ave. N #101, Plymouth, MN 55447 Call (763) 450-1755 or Schedule Online Frequently Asked Questions Can a Plymouth chiropractor help with chronic migraines? In many cases, yes, especially when the neck pain and the headaches show up together. Medication can manage a migraine, but if we can address the restricted joints and tight muscles driving it, we have a shot at real change. I ask patients to give it six to 12 visits before judging it, because we're re-educating the spine and that takes the time it takes. Does the VA cover chiropractic care in Plymouth, MN? We do accept VA insurance, but you need an authorization and referral from your primary care physician first, and that takes time to come through. The VA also limits what we can do, typically 12 visits over a three-month period. We'll tell you honestly what we think you need and what the VA is willing to approve, and we'll help you plan around the gap. Do you have to crack my neck to treat migraines? No. We have an activator, a small instrument that delivers a very light force to a specific spot, and drop tables that need very little force at all. We can also spend time on stretching and soft tissue work so the muscles relax before anything else happens. The sound people worry about isn't bone cracking, it's gas releasing from the joint, and if you're not comfortable with a neck adjustment I'm not going to push you into one. It's your body and your choice.