Texarkana Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Texarkana office, and Back Pain Chiropractic has been able to provide relief for many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50% of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this actually isn’t surprising. One of the most prevalent types of headaches that our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from problems in the cervical spine. It can be as a result of a condition with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine creates compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How do you identify if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent 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 with Cervicogenic Headaches

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is causing them is remedied, it is vital to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that provides a great deal of relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the best effects.

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

To find out what Back Pain 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/