Texarkana, Atlanta Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Texarkana, Atlanta office, and Dr. Swanson has been able to aid many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50 percent of all adults have difficulty with some kind of headache condition, so this certainly isn’t shocking. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches which our patients endure is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to a problem with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it might be a result of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine results in squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How do you distinguish if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is inducing them is remedied, it is crucial 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 printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts looked at 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial results.

Specifically, this study found that chiropractic adjustments offered patients better pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Swanson can do for you and your headache pain, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

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/