Corvallis Chiropractic Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

We see a lot of people with headaches in our Corvallis office, and Dr. Lach has been able to provide relief for many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all adults have difficulty with some kind of headache problems, so this actually isn’t unexpected. One of the most frequent sorts of headaches that our patients are afflicted with is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be attributable to an issue with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Other than being given a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes associated with 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 initiating 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 provides a great deal of pain relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts followed 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. Half of them got chiropractic care and the other half engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial outcomes.

In particular, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments offered patients better pain relief and decreased the number of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Lach can do for you and your headache pain, call us 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/