Great Falls Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of folks with headaches in our Great Falls office, and Dr. Six has been able to assist many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults deal with some kind of headache condition, so this certainly isn’t surprising. One of the most frequent kinds of headaches which our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from an issue in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to 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 creates compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can generate headache pain.

How do you recognize if the headache you are enduring is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is initiating them is corrected, it is essential to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that provides a considerable amount of relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts looked at 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half received chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the most beneficial outcomes.

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

To find out what Dr. Six can do for you and your headaches, 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/