Chronic Pain

Making an appointment to see your neuromusculoskeletal medicine (NMM) physician for migraines can be a valuable option; osteopathic medicine uses a whole-person approach to diagnosing and treating pain. Instead of focusing just on the headache, a NMM physician can see how muscular tension, posture, joint mechanics, stress, sleep, and lifestyle factors may contribute to migraine frequency or severity. Since many migraines are linked to cervical spine dysfunction, muscle tightness, or nerve irritation, this broader perspective can find triggers that might be overlooked by an approach focused on medication.

An important tool used by NMM physicians is osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). These careful, hands-on techniques can help improve mobility in the neck and upper back, release muscle tension, and reduce pressure on the nerve pathways involved in headaches. Some patients will find relief when the musculoskeletal contributors to their migraines, like tight suboccipital muscles or dysfunctional cervical joints, are addressed directly. OMT is non-invasive, and can be safely combined with other migraine treatments.

Another benefit to seeing an NMM physician is our focus on prevention. Osteopathic doctors are trained to work with the patient to find the patterns in lifestyle, posture, and daily habits that might provoke migraines. We can create individualized plans that include at-home exercises, ergonomic changes, strategies to help reduce stress, and dietary guidelines — these can all help in reducing the frequency of attacks rather than just treating symptoms after they appear.



Finally, NMM physicians are fully licensed doctors who can prescribe medications, order imaging, and collaborate with other experts like neurologists if needed. This means you get holistic, hands-on medical care without compromises. For many people with migraines (especially those seeking comprehensive care or non-pharmacologic approach) this combination can offer meaningful, lasting improvement.