How Integrative Dry Needling Supports Headache and Migraine Management

Headaches and migraines can be debilitating, disrupting daily life and productivity. In my clinic, I see many people searching for a safe, effective way to address the source of their pain rather than just masking symptoms. That’s where integrative dry needling comes in. My mission is to help patients reduce headache frequency and intensity by addressing the muscular and neural contributors to pain. Integrative dry needling, combined with a few daily self-care techniques, can be a powerful way to take back control and improve quality of life.

What Is Integrative Dry Needling

Integrative dry needling is a technique where very thin, sterile needles are inserted along nerve distributions, muscles and other involved soft tissues. This helps reduce tension, improve blood flow, and calm inflammation of the nervous system resulting in reduced pain.

For people with headaches or migraines, we focus on areas like the base of the skull, the neck, and the shoulders—places where tight muscles and sensitive nerve pathways often contribute to head pain.

Why Nerves Play a Big Role in Headaches

Two key nerves are often involved in headaches and migraines:

The Trigeminal Nerve

This is the largest cranial nerve, responsible for sensation across the face, scalp, and jaw. When this nerve or its branches become irritated or inflamed, the brain interprets those signals as pain. That’s why migraines often come with facial pressure, eye pain, or temple pain.

The Greater Occipital Nerve

This nerve runs from the upper cervical spine (neck) up through the back of the head toward the scalp. Irritation or inflammation here is strongly associated with occipital headaches and migraines that start in the neck and radiate over the head in a “ram like” pattern.

When either of these nerves is irritated — by tight muscles, restricted joints, or inflammation — it can trigger headache or migraine episodes. This is where dry needling shines: by calming the surrounding tissues and decreasing irritation of these nerve pathways, we can help reduce the frequency and intensity of pain.

What The Evidence Says

Dry needling isn’t just anecdotal — it’s supported by clinical research. One standout study, “Immediate effects of superficial dry needling of the trigeminal nerve innervation field for participants with cervicogenic headache: A randomized controlled trial”, found that even one session of dry needling led to immediate reductions in headache pain and improved neck function.

Other randomized controlled trials have found similar benefits:

Together, these findings show what we see every day in our clinic — dry needling works. It calms overactive nerve pathways, relaxes tight muscles, and restores natural movement, helping patients take back control of their lives.

Why We Combine Care With Education

Dry needling can be powerful on its own, but we believe in empowering our patients with tools to support their progress between sessions. Here are a few simple exercises we often recommend to complement treatment:

Suboccipital Release

Lie on your back with a tennis ball under the base of the skull. Let your head rest on the ball, breathing deeply for 1–2 minutes. This releases tension where the head meets the neck.

Levator Scapulae Stretch

Sit tall, turn your head 45° to one side, and gently look down toward your armpit. Use your hand to lightly guide the stretch, feeling a gentle pull along the side of your neck. Hold 20–30 seconds per side.

Upper Trapezius Stretch

While seated, let one arm hang down by your side. With the opposite hand, gently bring your ear toward your shoulder until you feel a stretch in the top of your shoulder. Hold 20–30 seconds per side.

Open Book Mobilization

Lie on your side with knees bent and arms extended in front of you. Slowly open your top arm across your body toward the floor on the opposite side, rotating through your upper back. This improves mobility and relieves tension.

Testimonials

"I started seeing Natalie when I was experiencing daily headaches from neck pain. The neck pain seemed to come out of nowhere and nothing I was doing was fixing the issue – massages, pain reliever, different sleeping pillow, blue light glasses, etc. I finally decided it was time to do something about this because it was becoming debilitating and affecting my work and home life. Immediately after my first needling session with Natalie, I felt better. Now we are coming up on a year from when I first started seeing her and I can go almost a month in between needling sessions and rarely, if ever, experience headaches. This has truly changed my life! Don’t hesitate to reach out to Natalie if you are struggling with similar issues. She is so good at what she does you’ll barely even feel the needle!!"

— K.M. 29 years old

“I can unequivocally state that Natalie’s care of my headache and neck pain has the largest single treatment effect out of anything else I’ve tried (including the gambit of prescription drugs for migraine). I’m off all medication now, and living almost migraine free without the side effects of rx drugs (which barely worked for me anyway) is such a gift. I recommend anyone dealing with migraines to check Natalie out as a complement to your regimen."

— Hannah, 34, PhD

Get In Touch

If you’re struggling with frequent headaches or migraines, schedule an appointment with our team to see how integrative dry needling can help you. Together, we’ll create a plan to relieve tension, calm nerves, and restore comfort.