Arlington Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of folks with headaches in our Arlington office, and Dr. Ernst has been able to aid many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulty with some sort of headache problem, so this certainly isn’t a surprise. One of the most prevalent types of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be generated by a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be attributed to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine produces constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.

How can you distinguish if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally coupled with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is inducing them is corrected, it is essential to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Half of them were given chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial effects.

Specifically, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments provided patients better pain relief and lowered the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Ernst can do for you and your headaches, call our office 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/