Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a great number of folks with headaches in our Port Coquitlam office, and Dr. Olson has been able to provide relief for many of them. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults deal with some type of headache condition, so this really isn't a surprise. One of the most typical varieties of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic care can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from problems in the cervical spine. It could be a result of an issue with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be attributed to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine results in compaction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache issues.

How can you find out if the headache you are enduring is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical 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.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is generating them is remedied, it is essential to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that can provide a considerable amount of relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the optimum outcomes.

In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more significant pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. What's more, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Olson can do for you and your headaches, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you need!

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/