Woburn & Chelmsford, MA Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of men and women with headaches in our Woburn & Chelmsford, MA office, and Dr. Ellis has been able to provide relief for many of them. Actually, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50 percent of all adults have difficulty with some type of headache disorder, so this really isn’t shocking. One of the most typical types of headaches that our patients struggle with is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from problems in the cervical spine. It can be thanks to a problem with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine brings about compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Besides receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is inducing them is remedied, it is crucial to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that offers a great deal of pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Half received 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 found that chiropractic delivered the best effects.

Specifically, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments provided patients enhanced pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Ellis 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/