Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of people with headaches in our Holtsville office, and Dr. Cohen has been able to assist many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults struggle with some type of headache condition, so this certainly isn't shocking. One of the most prevalent sorts of headaches which our patients experience is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic care can commonly help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be thanks to a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, 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 constriction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache problems.

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

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is triggering them is corrected, it is crucial to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that provides a great deal of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts looked at 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. One-half were given 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 most beneficial effects.

In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments offered patients better pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Cohen 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/