We see a lot of folks with headaches in our South Buffalo office, and Dr. Nowak has been able to provide relief for many of them. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one half of all adults struggle with some kind of headache disorder, so this certainly isn’t unexpected. One of the most prevalent varieties of headaches that our patients suffer from is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can generally help.
Cervicogenic Headaches Explained
A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from issues in the cervical spine. It can easily be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be brought on by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine results in constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.
How can you tell if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.
Chiropractic to the Rescue
Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is generating them is remedied, it is important to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of headache pain relief.
In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts looked at 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Half of them received chiropractic care and the other 50% underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the most beneficial results.
In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments provided patients enhanced pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. Furthermore, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.
To find out what Dr. Nowak can do for you and your headaches, call our office 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/
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