Salem Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of folks with headaches in our Salem office, and Dr. Robertson has been able to help many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults have a problem with some sort of headache condition, so this actually isn’t shocking. One of the most typical varieties of headaches which our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can often help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be due to a condition with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine brings about constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How do you determine if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common 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.

How Chiropractic Helps

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is generating them is corrected, it is essential to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that provides a considerable amount of relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts followed 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic offered the optimum results.

In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments offered patients greater pain relief and lessened the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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