Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of people with headaches in our Ronkonkoma office, and Dr. Priolo has been able to help many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50 percent of all adults deal with some kind of headache condition, so this certainly isn't a surprise. One of the most typical sorts of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic adjustments can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from an issue in the cervical spine. It can be due to a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be a result of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine produces squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache discomfort.

How do you identify if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Other than obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Headache Relief with Chiropractic

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is causing them is remedied, it is critical to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that offers a great deal of relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists looked at 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half received chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic delivered the optimum effects.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments gave patients greater pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. In addition to that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Priolo can do for you and your headache pain, call our office today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/