Gadsden, AL Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a large number of men and women with headaches in our Gadsden, AL office, and Gadsden Family Chiropractic has been able to help many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults struggle with some sort of headache condition, so this certainly isn’t unexpected. One of the most typical kinds of headaches which our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from issues in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to an issue with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How do you recognize if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from being given a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Because cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is causing them is corrected, it is crucial to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists studied 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half got chiropractic care and the other half underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic delivered the optimum results.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. Furthermore, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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