New York Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of individuals with headaches in our New York office, and Frank J. Valente, DC, PC has been able to support many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults struggle with some kind of headache problem, so this actually isn’t unexpected. One of the most prevalent sorts of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine results in compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is triggering them is remedied, it is crucial to receive treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic offered the best outcomes.

In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments provided patients enhanced pain relief and diminished the frequency of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Frank J. Valente, DC, PC can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

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/