We see a great number of individuals with headaches in our Noblesville office, and Dr. Dahlager has been able to assist many of them. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults have difficulties with some sort of headache disorder, so this actually isn’t shocking. One of the most common varieties of headaches which our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can generally help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from issues 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 due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine brings about squeezing or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How can you find out if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical 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.

Headache Relief with Chiropractic

Since cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is triggering them is remedied, it is critical to get treatment instead of just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that offers a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists evaluated 80 people who had frequent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was examined 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic provided the optimum outcomes.

Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and lessened the number of headaches that occurred. What's more, it also diminished the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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