Parkland, FL Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Parkland, FL office, and Dr. Scharf has been able to provide relief for many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults deal with some kind of headache disorder, so this actually isn’t surprising. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It can be caused by an issue with either the spine itself (specifically, 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 contributes to compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How do you recognize if the headache you are enduring is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is generating them is corrected, it is vital to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that offers a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts evaluated 80 people who had repeated cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the best outcomes.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more pain relief and diminished the number of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Scharf 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/