“This is an awesome chiropractic!! They are all nice and kind! Ever Since I have been adjusting my back, I don't need to take medicine before I go to bed. Also, I have been sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night because of the pain!! I really recommend the chiropractic”
Condition
Headache and Migraine Treatment
in Lakeland and The Villages, FL
Not every headache starts in the head. Before another prescription gets added, it is worth finding out whether yours is coming from the neck.
- 22 years in practice
- Drug-free, non-surgical
- $47 new-patient exam
Medically reviewed by Dr. Justin Bergin, DC Updated September 18, 2026
Quick summary
Headaches fall into recognizable types, and the type decides the treatment. Cervicogenic headaches start in the neck joints. Tension headaches come from sustained muscular load. Migraine is a neurological condition with its own triggers. ChiroMed examines the upper neck to identify which pattern you have, then treats without medication. The consultation, exam and report of findings cost $47.
Understanding headaches and migraines
Headaches are sorted by where the pain is generated, not by how badly it hurts. Cervicogenic headaches come from the joints at the top of the neck. Tension headaches come from muscles held under load. Migraine is a neurological process with its own triggers and phases.
The distinction matters because the three respond to different things.
A cervicogenic headache is mechanical. It is generated in the joints at the top of the neck, even though it is felt in the head.
A tension headache builds from load. Muscles held under sustained load become the source of the pain themselves.
Migraine is a neurological event with a prodrome, sometimes an aura, then the headache and a hangover afterwards.
Many people have more than one type at once, which is why an unexamined headache gets treated as the wrong thing for years.
How it works
The shared pathway
The top three cervical segments share nerve pathways with the trigeminal system, which serves the face and the front of the head.
The referred pain
Irritate a joint at that level and the brain reports pain behind the eye or across the temple, nowhere near the actual source.
The examination
The upper neck is examined for the joints that reproduce your familiar headache. That is what separates a cervicogenic pattern from the other two.
Has the headache started running your calendar?
By the time somebody books a headache appointment here, they have usually built a life around the headaches rather than around themselves.
There is a bottle in the car, a bottle in the desk and a bottle by the bed. There is a list of plans quietly cancelled.
Has anybody examined your neck yet?
There is usually a drawer of half-finished prescriptions from three different prescribers, none of whom examined the neck. That last part is what we look at first.
A lot of persistent headaches are cervicogenic. They start in the joints at the top of the neck and refer pain up into the skull. People get treated for migraine for years instead.
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC assesses the upper neck properly at the first visit, in Lakeland or in Lady Lake.
Independent background: Migraine, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Symptoms
Most people recognize their own version somewhere in this list. Each one maps to a specific finding the examination checks for.
- Pain starting at the base of the skull
- One-sided throbbing that builds over hours
- A band of pressure around the whole head
- Light and sound becoming intolerable
- Nausea arriving with the pain
- Visual disturbance before the headache starts
- Neck stiffness in the hours beforehand
- Waking with a headache several days a week
- Tenderness in the temples or the jaw
Common causes
Upper cervical joint dysfunction
Restricted motion in the top segments of the neck refers pain into the skull through shared nerve pathways. It is the most commonly missed headache source.
Sustained muscular load
Screens, driving, and a jaw clenched through the night keep the suboccipital and shoulder muscles switched on. The tissue becomes a pain generator in its own right.
Migraine physiology and its triggers
A neurological process with real triggers: disrupted sleep, missed meals, dehydration, hormonal shifts and barometric change. Florida summers matter here.
Jaw mechanics
A jaw joint that tracks poorly loads the temporalis and masseter, and those refer into the temple and behind the eye. Headaches and jaw symptoms travel together.
An old whiplash injury
A collision changes how the upper neck moves, and headaches can appear months later. The history matters even when the crash was years ago.
How we treat headaches and migraines in Lakeland and The Villages
The examination decides the plan. Cervicogenic and tension patterns respond to restoring upper cervical motion and releasing the loaded tissue. Where the pain signal has become persistent in its own right, neuromodulation is added rather than escalating medication.
Chiropractic care for the upper cervical segments
Specific, controlled adjustment of the top of the neck, where the referral pathways into the head begin. Patients whose headaches really do start in the neck often notice the frequency drop before the intensity does. That is a good sign the source was mechanical.
upper cervical adjustment for headaches that start in the neck
Neuromed electroanalgesia for persistent pain signalling
Neuromed applies targeted electrical stimulation to the pain signalling itself. It suits patients whose headaches have run long enough that the nervous system has become sensitized. It also suits anyone who would rather not add another daily tablet.
Soft tissue therapy for the suboccipital and jaw musculature
Release work through the base of the skull, the upper trapezius and the jaw muscles. That is where tension headache pain is generated, and where neck-driven headaches are kept going between episodes. It is usually what makes the adjustment last.
Available at our 2 locations
Treatment at our Lakeland office, and also at:
What recovery usually looks like
Sorting the type Your first two visits
History, a headache pattern review, upper cervical examination and neurological screening. You leave knowing which type or types you are dealing with.
The first block of care The opening weeks
Visits sit closer together while motion is restored. Frequency shifts before intensity, so we track how many days a month you lose rather than how bad the worst one was.
Checking your headache diary against the baseline At a set checkpoint in the plan
We compare your headache diary against the baseline. If frequency has not measurably changed, the plan changes or you are referred to a neurologist. You are told either way.
Managing what sets them off Once episodes have settled
Care moves to keeping the neck moving and managing what reliably sets you off. Some patients keep a periodic visit through the summer months and drop it in winter.
When to seek care sooner
A headache diary is the single most useful thing you can bring to a first appointment. Write down the date, the time it started, what you had eaten, how you slept, and what you were doing beforehand. Beyond that, drink enough water in the Florida heat, keep sleep and mealtimes regular, and get the screen up to eye level. Go easy on over-the-counter painkillers. Taking them more than a couple of days a week can start causing the headaches they are meant to stop.
Some headaches need a physician right away. Call 911 or go to an emergency department for a headache that comes on suddenly and severely, or one with fever and a stiff neck. Do the same for new weakness, confusion, slurred speech or vision loss, or a headache after a head injury. A brand new headache pattern after age fifty needs seeing too.
Cost, insurance and financing
Headache care is priced by the plan the examination produces rather than by a package sold before anyone has looked at your neck. Your first visit is $47 and includes the consultation, examination, X-rays if needed and the report of findings.
The one published price
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47
What affects the cost
- Which headache type or combination the examination identifies
- Whether neuromodulation is added to the hands-on plan
- How long the pattern has been running, and how many days a month you lose
What a course includes
- The upper cervical and neurological examination and the report of findings
- Reassessment against your own headache baseline as the plan progresses
Payment:
Chiropractic care at ChiroMed bills insurance and your benefits are verified before the first visit. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so the front desk will confirm what applies to your policy. Payment plans are available for self-pay care.
Who you would be seeing
Who examines you, and what are they looking for?
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC has 22 years of practice behind him and does the headache examination himself at both offices.
His view is that a headache nobody has examined the neck for has not really been assessed.
What if the answer is not a course of care here?
Sometimes the honest answer is a neurology referral rather than a plan in this building.
He founded ChiroMed to reject the rushed-appointment model, which in a headache consultation means the history is taken properly before any treatment is proposed.
Dr. Justin Bergin, DC, 22 years in practice, performs the examination personally and explains the findings before any program starts. Lakeland: 6595 Florida Ave S, Suite 13, Lakeland. The Villages market office: 929 US-441 #404, Lady Lake. Both offices run the same program.
Getting to us
How easy is the Lakeland office to reach?
The South Florida Avenue office is a short drive from Dixieland, Cleveland Heights, Southgate, Christina and Highland City.
It is easy to reach off the Polk Parkway from Winter Haven and Mulberry, and Florida Southern College sits minutes away on Lake Hollingsworth.
What about the drive from The Villages?
Lady Lake patients find the US-441 office just north of CR 466. It is within reach of Spanish Springs Town Square, Lake Sumter Landing, Wildwood, Leesburg and Summerfield.
The cart routes cover most of the trip if you would rather not drive with a headache building.
Browse every condition on the conditions we treat index.
From the ChiroMed Journal
Longer reading on this subject, written by the practice rather than bought in.
- Migraine Triggers You Can Actually Control: A Lakeland Care Plan
Most migraine triggers are not one bad food. Learn which ones you can control, how neck load feeds head pain, and what a care plan looks like in Lakeland, FL.
Headaches and Migraines in recent research
These sources are independent of this practice and none of them endorses it. They are listed so the reasoning behind the care can be checked rather than taken on trust.
- Comparative safety and efficacy of manual therapy interventions for cervicogenic headache: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Compares manual therapy approaches for headache arising from the neck, which is the subgroup most likely to respond to the care offered here.
- Headache
The federal overview of headache types and of the warning signs that call for neurological assessment rather than mechanical care.
Options compared, honestly
This is treated very differently depending on who you walk in to see. Here is the full set, including the options this practice does not provide.
| Option | What it is | Typically considered when | Invasive? | Offered at ChiroMed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiropractic care with soft tissue therapy Our approach | Restoring upper cervical motion and releasing the musculature that sustains the pain | Examination shows a cervical or muscular source, or those are contributing to a mixed picture | No. Hands-on and drug free | Yes, at both offices |
| Acute headache medication | Tablets taken at onset to stop or shorten an episode | Episodes are infrequent enough to manage as they come | No, though rebound headache is a known risk with frequent use | Not prescribed here. Appropriate under the guidance of your prescriber for episodes as they arise |
| Preventive prescription medication | A daily prescription taken to reduce how often episodes occur | Episodes are frequent and a neurologist has established a diagnosis | No, though the side effects are systemic | Not prescribed here. Appropriate when episodes are frequent and a neurologist is managing them |
| Botulinum toxin injections | Injections into head and neck musculature on a repeating schedule | Chronic migraine is diagnosed and other preventives have not worked | Yes. Repeated injections | Not performed here. Appropriate for diagnosed chronic migraine under a neurologist |
| Occipital nerve block | Anesthetic placed around the occipital nerve at the back of the skull | Occipital neuralgia is suspected, or a diagnostic block will clarify the source | Yes. Needle-based procedure | Not performed here. Appropriate when occipital neuralgia is suspected and a specialist recommends it |
Migraine that is frequent, escalating or changing in character belongs with a neurologist, and hands-on care does not replace that. Where a cervical component exists alongside it, treating both usually beats treating either one on its own.
What to expect
From evaluation to a plan for your headaches and migraines
A course, not a single visit. The examination decides the length and the cost, and both are written down first.
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01Evaluation
Orthopedic and neurological testing, with imaging on site where it changes the plan.
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02Findings, in plain language
What the examination actually found, and honestly whether this is a case conservative care can help at all.
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03A written program
Which disciplines, how many visits, over what period, and what it costs. Decided before anything begins.
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04Reassessment as it runs
Function is re-measured through the course. If the response says the plan should change, it changes.
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Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
“Dr. Bergin at Chiromed Wellness Centers is the best chiropractor in town. I no longer have to take pain meds. If you still have pain, you’re not seeing to best chiropractor.”
“Love this place!! Cynthia and Angie are amazing! So nice and helpful!! The chiropractor’s are also amazing!! Just a great place overall! I highly recommended it!!”
“Look them up I waited so long to see a chiropractor and I found this place and am so happy that I did . Love the Drs they are so helpful and make feel like family.”
“The staff is super friendly and they walked me through the whole process. I’ve been going for a few weeks now and I’m already feeling results! The treatment the offer is very hands on and informative. I’ve never had manual adjustments until coming to this office and the staff makes you feel comfortable and takes care of your needs. Highly recommend !”
“The best Chiropractic center in South lakeland! love it here the Doctors are very urged to help with any of your needs, the beautiful assistants are nice and helpful they really make you feel welcomed. Most highly recommended Chiropractic Center. :)”
“Muy profesional la atención es formidable todos los empleados son muy amigables.Y muy efectiva sus terapias..Los recomiendo 100x100%”
“My pain has decreased dramatically, I’m no longer stretching and moving my neck in every angle trying to find relief. Every part of my body I can feel is finally getting closer to symmetry! All I can say is you should give new city a try!”
“I love this place!! They're very caring for their patients and strive to help you feel better. I strongly recommend giving them a try. I promise you won't regret it”
“The staff is very knowledgeable and organized, they get to know you and are flexible about fitting your treatment in to your life. They use proven methods to treat the root of your issues and the results are incredible. I was in a lot of pain after a car crash and within a few weeks I was able to go back to my normal routine with no discomfort.”
“I have had sich a great experience seeing Dr. Bergin. When other offices have told me I just had muscle damage or the only thing they could do for me was give shots, he said he had others ways to manage my pain and numbness, along with improving mobility. And he was right! I feel so much better! With such friendly staff and welcoming office environment, it makes for an amazing experience. I'll definitely continue seeing him!”
“Dr. Bergin was instrumental in relieving my back pain which I had for many years. The techniques he used on relieving my back pain were impressive. I been going to chiropractors for years and Dr. Bergin is the best. Thank You Dr. Bergin :)”
“Took a good amount of time going over my preliminary results and going over potential care plan. Great adjustment and doesn’t sugarcoat when discussing. Would recommend”
“The environment is incredible at this office with the staff and also both doctors are extremely friendly and great at what they do”
“Amazing, Super friendly and talented Staff and Doctors! My back was a hot mess after a semi hit my car on my first day moving to Florida. But after going through the treatment program I was able to get my neck, my back and my life in alignment. It was a total transformation. Thank You New City Chiropractic!”
“Hands down the best chiropractic office out there! They are super friendly and make me feel comfortable to tell then what’s wrong. They always ensure the best treatment for their patients!”
“I absolutely love this place , it is like going to visit family. They are always so pleasant , happy , and professional. I always enjoy seeing the ladies , they always put a smile on my face and even if I am having a bad day. The doctors are always so friendly and concerned with my well being. I actually look forward to going there and miss them on the days that I don't go.”
“I only wish it was closer. You are welcome it's definitely a compliment and I have read the great comments people made about the facility and staff! Amen Open one in Auburndale please!!”
“HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend coming here if you have any pains in your back or neck!! These guys are AMAZING at what they do!! Just a few months into coming here, I feel a change in the way I walk, the way my head sits on my shoulders, and I just feel GREAT; ALL THE TIME!! Crazy what some little adjustments did for me!!”
“I have seen and feel the change in my body since I started, I use to have major pain in my knees and neck ache. I'm an athlete and constantly need more adjustments, and every time I come I always without a doubt feel welcomed and important.”
Get in touch
Schedule your headaches and migraines evaluation
Tell us what you are feeling and which office is closer. The front desk answers during office hours; leave a message after hours and they call back the next open day.
- 1
Send the form
Two minutes. Tell us what hurts and which office is closer.
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We call you back
A real person, during office hours, to find a time that works.
- 3
Exam and answers
History, orthopedic and neurological testing, imaging on site when it changes the plan.
- $47 consultation, exam, X-rays if needed and report of findings
- Payment plans available on the self-pay programs
- 4.8 out of 5 from 225 Google reviews
- Choose Lakeland or The Villages on the form
Headaches and Migraines questions
Tap a message for the honest answer. Call Lakeland (863) 940-3444
Can a chiropractor help with migraines?
Hands-on care helps most where a cervical component is contributing, which is common and frequently missed. It does not replace neurological management of established migraine. Patients with a mixed picture, part cervicogenic and part migraine, often get the largest change from treating the mechanical half properly.
How do I know if my headaches are coming from my neck?
Typical signs are pain that starts at the base of the skull and spreads forward, and one-sided pain that stays on the same side. Neck stiffness in the hours beforehand is another, as are headaches brought on by holding one position. An upper cervical examination that reproduces your familiar pain settles the question quickly.
What kind of doctor should I see for chronic headaches?
Start with whoever will examine you rather than prescribe first. A neurologist manages diagnosed migraine and investigates concerning patterns. A chiropractor assesses the mechanical contribution from the neck and jaw. Many people with daily headaches genuinely need both, in that order.
What is commonly mistaken for a migraine?
Cervicogenic headache heads the list, because it can be one-sided, throbbing and light-sensitive too. Others include jaw joint dysfunction, occipital neuralgia, sinus disease, and medication-overuse headache from frequent painkiller use. The pattern and a proper examination separate them.
Why do doctors discourage chiropractors?
Some do, usually where a clinic has over-promised or treated outside its scope. The fair concern is a patient being kept on a plan when a referral is what they need. Our answer is to reassess against your own baseline and to say plainly when neurology is the better route.
Will insurance pay for chiropractic headache care?
Chiropractic care at ChiroMed bills insurance and your benefits are verified before your first visit. Device-based additions are handled separately and quoted in advance. Medicare coverage varies by plan and by service, so ask the front desk to check your specific policy.
Same-week appointments
Start with an examination, not a package.
Find out what is actually driving it before choosing a program.
- 4.8 out of 5 on Google
Consultation, Exam, X-Rays (If Needed) & Report of Findings: Only $47