Columbus Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of men and women with headaches in our Columbus office, and Dr. Kenneth Osborn has been able to assist many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults struggle with some type of headache problem, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from a problem in the cervical spine. It could be because of a condition with either the spine itself (particularly, 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 can cause squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How do you tell if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Besides getting a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is triggering them is corrected, it is essential to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that offers a considerable amount of relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists evaluated 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Half of them were given chiropractic care and the other 50% underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the most beneficial effects.

Specifically, this study found that chiropractic adjustments provided patients more pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. Additionally, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Kenneth Osborn 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/