Corvallis Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a lot of individuals with headaches in our Corvallis office, and Dr. Lach has been able to aid many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one half of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this really isn’t a surprise. One of the most typical varieties of headaches that our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can commonly help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that originates from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be as a result of an issue with either the spine itself (in particular, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it could be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine results in compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How can you know if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is causing them is corrected, it is vital to receive treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that provides a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers looked at 80 people who had regular cervicogenic headaches. One-half received chiropractic care and the other fifty percent underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the optimum results.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more significant pain relief and lowered the number of headaches that occurred. Furthermore, it also lessened the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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