Many persons with migraine experience neck pain and often seek local treatment. Yet, neck pain may be part of migraine symptomology and not from a local cervical source. If neck pain is of cervical origin, a pattern of musculoskeletal impairments with characteristics similar to idiopathic neck pain should be present.
Some individuals with migraine may have neck pain of cervical origin, whereas others may not. However, previous studies have neglected the disparity in potential origins of neck pain and treated persons with migraine as a homogenous group, which does not assist in identifying the origin of neck pain in individuals with migraine.
Neck pain when present with migraine does not necessarily indicate the existence of cervical musculoskeletal dysfunction. Skilled assessment without reliance only on the person reporting symptoms is needed to identify actual cervical dysfunction. Treatment suitable for neck musculoskeletal disorders would seem inappropriate for the individuals without cervical dysfunction.