Rochester Hills Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a large number of individuals with headaches in our Rochester Hills office, and Dr. Dalton has been able to support many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one half of all adults deal with some kind of headache problems, so this really isn’t a surprise. One of the most frequent varieties of headaches that our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from issues in the cervical spine. It can be as a result of an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be attributable to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine creates compression or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How can you find out if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Because cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is inducing them is remedied, it is important to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that provides a great deal of relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers studied 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received 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 provided the optimum results.

In particular, this study revealed that chiropractic adjustments offered patients better pain relief and diminished the number of headaches that occurred. On top of that, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Dalton 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/