We see a great number of folks with headaches in our Otown office, and TJ Delorie has been able to provide relief for many of them. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one half of all adults have difficulty with some kind of headache problem, so this actually isn’t unexpected. One of the most common kinds of headaches which our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can often help.
What is a Cervicogenic Headache?
A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be due to an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine contributes to constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.
How can you distinguish if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Besides receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.
How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches
Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is triggering them is corrected, it is important to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that offers a great deal of pain relief.
In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts studied 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Half got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the optimum outcomes.
In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and diminished the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.
To find out what TJ Delorie can do for you and your headache pain, 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/