Arlington Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of men and women with headaches in our Arlington office, and Dr. Ernst has been able to assist many of them. Actually, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this actually isn’t shocking. One of the most frequent varieties of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can often help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from an issue in the cervical spine. It can be thanks to a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be because of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine produces constriction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How can you recognize if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Other than obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes associated with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Because cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is generating them is corrected, it is crucial to get treatment instead of 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 published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other half underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic delivered the optimum results.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and lessened the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Ernst can do for you and your headache pain, 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/