Arlington, WA Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of folks with headaches in our Arlington, WA office, and Dr. Ernst has been able to aid many of them. Actually, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults have difficulty with some kind of headache disorder, so this actually isn’t a surprise. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches that our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be thanks to a problem with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it might be because of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine produces constriction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

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

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is initiating them is corrected, it is vital to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that offers a considerable amount of relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half received chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was found that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial effects.

In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and reduced the frequency of headaches that occurred. What's more, 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/