Henderson Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a great number of men and women with headaches in our Henderson office, and Dr. Russell has been able to help many of them. Actually, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults have difficulty with some sort of headache condition, so this really isn’t shocking. One of the most prevalent types of headaches which our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from a problem in the cervical spine. It can be attributable to a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be attributed to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How can you distinguish if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Other than obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Because 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 considerable amount of relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists looked at 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half were given chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the best effects.

Specifically, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients enhanced pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Russell can do for you and your headache pain, call our office 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/