We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Highland Park, Saint Paul, Minnesota office, and Robert C Slater, DC has been able to assist many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one half of all adults deal with some kind of headache problems, so this really isn’t shocking. One of the most frequent kinds of headaches which our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can often help.
What is a Cervicogenic Headache?
A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be a result of a problem with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine leads to squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.
How can you tell if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Besides receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally coupled with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.
How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches
Since cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is causing them is corrected, it is essential to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that can provide a considerable amount of pain relief.
In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers looked at 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. One-half got chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the optimum results.
In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments provided patients enhanced pain relief and lessened the frequency of headaches that occurred. What's more, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.
To find out what Robert C Slater, DC can do for you and your headaches, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you need!
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/
