Humble Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of folks with headaches in our Humble office, and Dr. Groneck has been able to assist many of them. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults have difficulties with some kind of headache problems, so this certainly isn’t a surprise. One of the most prevalent kinds of headaches that our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can commonly help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from issues in the cervical spine. It can be because of an issue with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine contributes to constriction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How do you determine if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is causing them is corrected, it is essential to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that offers a great deal of pain relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts studied 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. One-half received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the best results.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments provided patients greater pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Groneck 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/