Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

Sayville Chiropractic Care Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of individuals with headaches in our Sayville office, and Precision Chiropractic has been able to provide relief for many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that half of all adults have a problem with some sort of headache problem, so this really isn't shocking. One of the most typical varieties of headaches that our patients are afflicted with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic care can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from problems in the cervical spine. It might be as a result of an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be brought on by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache discomfort.

How do you know if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is inducing them is corrected, it is crucial to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that offers a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists evaluated 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the best outcomes.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. Additionally, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Precision Chiropractic can do for you and your headaches, 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/