Holtsville Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of people with headaches in our Holtsville office, and Dr. Cohen has been able to provide relief for many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulty with some type of headache condition, so this really isn’t unexpected. One of the most frequent types of headaches that our patients experience is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be due to a problem with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine brings about compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How do you know if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Other than being given a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Since cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is inducing them is corrected, it is important to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a great deal of relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers studied 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent got chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic offered the optimum results.

Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments provided patients better pain relief and diminished 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. Cohen 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/