Sunnyvale & San Francisco, CA Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of men and women with headaches in our Sunnyvale & San Francisco, CA office, and Dr. Jamie Stern has been able to assist many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults struggle with some sort of headache problem, so this certainly isn’t a surprise. One of the most frequent types of headaches which our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be thanks to a problem with either the spine itself (in particular, 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 produces constriction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How can you identify if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, 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.

Headache Relief with Chiropractic

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is generating them is corrected, it is vital to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that offers a great deal of pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts evaluated 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. One-half were given 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 found that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial results.

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

To find out what Dr. Jamie Stern 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/