American Headache Institute

Our Practice

The AMERICAN HEADACHE INSTITUTE was founded by Angelo DiMaggio, PT, Dip. MDT, Spine Therapist. In clinical practice for over 40 years, Mr. DiMaggio has devoted the past 35 years exclusively to the treatment of spinal pain and is currently president of the American Back Pain Center.

As a nationally renowned lecturer, he presents a new system of spine care with a series of six spine seminars he has developed. At the Invitation of major medical centers and universities, he has conducted over 500 seminars and instructed more than 10,000 medical practitioners and physicians. Seeking to address the needs of patients suffering from headaches, migraines, TMJ, neck, and oral-facial pain, Mr. DiMaggio has devoted 4 of his 6 seminars to deal exclusively with the treatment of these conditions.

Educating Professionals

We teach a system of spine care known as the “Strategic Orthopedics Spine System”. Our seminar format requires our hosting medical centers to provide headache, migraine, TMJ & oral-facial patients to be examined and treated in front of the audience of medical professionals.  The majority of these patients have severe, chronic, constant pain which has not responded to many conventional treatments.  Every audience gets a first-hand look at what the system can do when applied to the cervical spine.  The 15 year combined results for all seminar patients on their first visit is as follows;

  • 59% experience complete abolishment of all head and facial symptoms.
  • 30% experience 10-90% relief of all head and facial symptoms.
  • 11% experience 9-0% relief of all head and facial symptoms.

Having witnessed these results for themselves, many medical practitioners have returned to their clinics more determined than ever to help their head and facial pain patients.  While every pain clinic has a percentage of patients willing to write pain relief testimonials, we have medical professionals from around the country writing us with the results they are having on hundreds of headache sufferers every year.  They have become the headache, TMJ & facial pain experts in their cities.

Consider one such letter

“Our foundation for treating patients with head, neck, and facial/TMJ pain was provided by the cervical examination and treatment system developed by spine therapist Angelo DiMaggio.  We spend our days systematically reducing and often abolishing patients’ symptoms, typically on the first visit.  Over 5 years and 1,800 patients have taught us that the vast majority of headache and facial pain patients have underlying cervical pathology.  Our patients have been able to capitalize on the life-changing opportunity this new system affords”.

Nasha Holt, MD
Headache Institute of Texas
400 N. Loop 1604 Ste. 345
San Antonio, Tx. 78232
(210) 402-2920

Based On The Research, What Symptoms Can The Neck Produce?

Medical researchers have proven that pain sensitive structures in the upper and lower neck are capable of producing the following symptoms;

The AMERICAN HEADACHE INSTITUTE was developed as a direct result of this growing body of scientific research and an increasing number of doctors, researchers, and world authorities which now recognize the cervical spine (neck) to be a formidable source of head, TMJ pain, facial pain, and other types of symptoms.  

If you have received routine medical care or chiropractic care for any of the above-mentioned conditions and are still suffering, there is a much higher chance your neck is the undetected cause and we can help.  All of the above-listed problems have been successfully treated at The AMERICAN HEADACHE INSTITUTE.

Unresponsive Treatments

When treating the cervical spine of patients with head and facial symptoms, we have often observed the following conditions to improve or completely resolve.

Unresponsive Conditions 

  • Tooth Pain
  • Tinnitus
  • Ear Fullness / Pain
  • Sinus Pressure / Pain
  • Sinusitis
  • Visual Disturbances
  • Lacrimation
  • Eye Dryness
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea / Vomiting
  • Balance Problems
  • Unsteady Gait

Here’s what medical experts have said about your neck…and we have listened.

“In the past 25 years, a small number of medical scientists began to suspect that damaged neck structures could cause headaches.  This body of knowledge has now grown, thanks largely to the work of doctors Bogduk and Sjaastad”.

“Approximately 800 new headache patients per year are examined at our clinic.  An estimated 80% of these patients are diagnosed with cervicogenic headache.  Of these patients almost none are referred with this diagnosis”.

“Physicians are not taught to consider or explore neck structures when investigating headaches.  This results in a rarely diagnosed but common condition”, says Dr. Rothbart.

P. Rothbart, MD,  Medical Director, Rothbart Pain Management Clinic, Toronto, Ontario.

“Cervicogenic headache is characterized by pain referred to the head from the cervical spine. Muscles, joints and ligaments of the upper 3 cervical segments have been shown to be capable of causing a headache. The International Headache Institute recognizes this type of headache as a distinct disorder”.

N. Bogduk, PhD.

Treatment Centers Built On Cutting-Edge Research

The American Headache Institute was developed as a direct result of this growing body of scientific research and an increasing number of doctors, researchers, and world authorities which now recognize the cervical spine (neck) to be a formidable source of head, TMJ pain, facial pain, and other types of symptoms.

The American Headache Institute uses examination and treatment methods for the cervical spine recommended by the Neck Task Force Report.

“Upper neck muscles, joints, ligaments, and discs are established sources of pain referred to the head, face, and mandible (jaw).  Headache of cervical origin and migraine types often show similar clinical presentations”.

P. J. Goadsby, MD, PhD, Editor and Chief of The Journal Cephalalagia

“Approximately 800 new headache patients per year are examined at our clinic (Rothbart Pain Management Clinic, Toronto, Ontario). An estimated 80% of these patients are diagnosed with cervicogenic headache.  One of the confusing phenomena about the cervicogenic headache is that its symptoms can present as migraine headaches, tension-type headaches, or even cluster headaches”.

P. Rothbart, MD

“The cervical spine appears to be a major source of pain to the head, face, and mandible (jaw).  The cervical spine must be evaluated to rule out cervical spine dysfunction.  Any imbalance in the upper cervical spine can give rise to problems in the head or face”.

B. Mark, DDS

“Treatment involving exercise, manual therapy, educational 
interventions, and patient self-efficacy are more effective than alternative strategies for patients with neck pain”.

S. Haldeman MD, PhD, DC, President, Neck Task Force Report 
The largest review of cervical research ever conducted (>31,000 studies).

The AMERICAN HEADACHE INSTITUTE follows all of the research recommendations of the Neck Task Force Report.

  • We use only patient self-care.
  • A self-care approach makes prevention possible by empowering the patient with the ability to relieve recurring symptoms.
  • We routinely treat cervical radiculopathy (symptoms in the arm & hand).
  • Our mission is the treatment of cervicogenic headaches.