Published: April 11, 2025 | Updated: April 21, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Jordan Jones loves a good battle. The multisport athlete at Louisville Collegiate School thrives against the toughest competition on the court or the field.
But another battle threatened to derail not only her passion for sports, but also the opportunity of being a normal teenager. At age 7, Jordan began experiencing migraine headaches. For nearly a decade, the now 16-year-old experienced debilitating migraine episodes that would strike up to three times a week.
“I was missing a lot of school,” Jordan said. “A lot of times, I would vomit or I just wouldn’t be able to even stand up because I was in so much pain.”
She’s not alone.Migraine, a leading cause of pain and disability, affects more children and teens every year. In 2023, 18% of children who visited pediatric emergency rooms did so for migraine-related issues.
Having tried medications, lifestyle changes and other treatments, Jordan turned to an alternative remedy: acupuncture. At first, she found it difficult to believe something as simple as needles could help alleviate the intense migraine pain.
“I was skeptical the first time, because, to me, it was difficult to believe how needles could help,” she said.
However, after giving acupuncture a chance, Jordan experienced significant improvement in her condition.
Elizabeth S. Doll, M.D., pediatric neurologist at Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, offers acupuncture to many of her migraine patients, including Jordan. According to Dr. Doll, migraine in children is more common than people think.
“It’s a very personal experience, and so it’s hard for other people to understand how painful a migraine can be,” she said. “People experience migraine differently, which is why some individuals, like Jordan, turn to acupuncture for relief.”
Acupuncture involves stimulating energy channels in the body, according to Chinese philosophy. It can be a stand-alone treatment for migraine or in conjunction with other treatments.
For Jordan, acupuncture has transformed her life.
“I can go to school most days without worrying that the lights are going to give me a migraine,” she said. “I can go to play volleyball and lacrosse and believe that I can play my best.”