Woburn & Chelmsford, MA Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of individuals with headaches in our Woburn & Chelmsford, MA office, and Dr. James Ellis & Dr. Lyndsay Martin has been able to aid many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulties with some type of headache problem, so this certainly isn’t surprising. One of the most typical varieties of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

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

How can you know if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes coupled with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is causing them is remedied, it is important to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that offers a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists evaluated 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Half got chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the most beneficial results.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and decreased the number of headaches that occurred. What's more, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. James Ellis & Dr. Lyndsay Martin 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/