West Palm Beach Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of individuals with headaches in our West Palm Beach office, and Dr. Dennis has been able to support many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults struggle with some sort of headache disorder, so this really isn’t unexpected. One of the most frequent varieties of headaches that our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from a problem in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to a problem with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be caused by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine creates compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.

How can you tell if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Because cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is initiating them is corrected, it is critical to receive treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that provides a great deal of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half were given 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 optimum effects.

Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments provided patients more significant pain relief and diminished the frequency of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Dennis 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/