Jacksonville and Fleming Island Chiropractic and Cervicogenic Headache

We see a great number of individuals with headaches in our Jacksonville and Fleming Island office, and Dr. Fritz has been able to assist many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that one half of all adults have difficulties with some kind 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 often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from issues in the cervical spine. It might be attributable to a condition with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine results in compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can contribute to headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are enduring is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is occasionally followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is inducing 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 can provide a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists studied 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Half of them were given chiropractic care and the other half underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the best results.

In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments offered patients more pain relief and decreased the frequency of headaches that occurred. In addition, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Fritz 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/