Jacksonville Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a large number of men and women with headaches in our Jacksonville office, and Chanatry Chiropractic has been able to help many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50% of all adults have difficulty with some sort of headache condition, so this certainly isn’t shocking. One of the most common types of headaches which our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can commonly help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from problems in the cervical spine. It might be a result of an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, 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 can cause compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How do you determine if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes coupled 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 issue is triggering them is corrected, it is vital to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that offers a great deal of relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts evaluated 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic provided the most beneficial outcomes.

In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and reduced the frequency of headaches that occurred. In addition to that, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Chanatry Chiropractic can do for you and your headache pain, call our office 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/