Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Alpharetta office, and Dr. Berklich has been able to help many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulty with some manner of headache disorder, so this actually isn't a surprise. One of the most common sorts of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic treatment can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from problems in the cervical spine. It can be caused by a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine results in squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache issues.

How can you identify if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Besides getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes associated with 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 problem is causing them is corrected, it is important to receive treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that provides a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists looked at 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Half got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the optimum outcomes.

In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments provided patients greater pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Berklich 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/