13/03/2026
Does your migraine feel like it starts at the base of your skull? The source of your pain might not be in your head, but in the structural alignment of your upper neck.
1️⃣ The Trigeminal Connection: The suboccipital muscles at the base of your skull sit next to the trigeminal nucleus- your brain’s pain centre.
Irritation here can cause “cervicotrigeminal convergence,” making your pain system hyper-reactive and lowering your migraine threshold.
2️⃣ Referred Pain: Research by Travell and Simons shows that tension in these muscles refers pain in an arc: from the base of the skull, over the crown, and directly behind the eye.
3️⃣ Brain Fog & Fatigue: Stress on the craniocervical junction can disrupt the reticular activating system, which controls your alertness and energy levels. This is often why migraines are accompanied by deep exhaustion.
4️⃣ Proprioceptive Mismatch: If your neck joints are misaligned, your brain receives “false” data about your head position. This forces your eyes to work overtime, leading to light sensitivity and visual fatigue in busy environments.
Addressing the structural integrity of the upper cervical spine is about restoring the accurate flow of information between the body and the brain.
🔗 Read our full blog about migraines and upper cervical chiropractic. Link in Bio.
