Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

Arlington Chiropractic Care Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a considerable number of folks with headaches in our Arlington office, and Dr. Ernst has been able to aid many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50 percent of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this really isn't surprising. One of the most typical kinds of headaches which our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic care can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from issues in the cervical spine. It can easily be generated by a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine can cause squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache problems.

How do you tell if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined 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 inducing 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 can provide a great deal of pain relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts looked at 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. One-half were given chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic offered the best results.

Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments offered patients greater pain relief and diminished the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Ernst 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/