New York Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of individuals with headaches in our New York office, and Dr. Valente has been able to assist many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults deal with some kind of headache problems, so this actually isn’t a surprise. One of the most common types of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from an issue in the cervical spine. It might be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine contributes to squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Besides obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is triggering them is corrected, it is critical to get treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that provides a great deal of pain relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other 50% underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial outcomes.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients greater pain relief and diminished 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. Valente 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/