Henderson, NV Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of folks with headaches in our Henderson, NV office, and Dr. Russell and Dr. Janda has been able to aid many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults have difficulties with some sort of headache problem, so this actually isn’t a surprise. One of the most typical kinds of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be because of an issue with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be because of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine contributes to squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How can you tell if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes associated with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Headache Relief with Chiropractic

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is triggering them is remedied, it is essential to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that provides a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Half received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic provided the best results.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and lowered the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Russell and Dr. Janda 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/