Juneau, AK Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of people with headaches in our Juneau, AK office, and Dr. Messerschmidt has been able to assist many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that half of all adults deal with some sort of headache disorder, so this certainly isn’t unexpected. One of the most common sorts of headaches that our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, thankfully, chiropractic can often help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from problems in the cervical spine. It can easily be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be triggered by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine can cause compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How do you distinguish if the headache you are experiencing is a cervicogenic headache? Other than getting a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes followed by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is initiating them is remedied, it is vital to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent approach, and one that can provide a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists looked at 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half were given chiropractic care and the other 50% engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic offered the best effects.

In particular, this study uncovered that chiropractic adjustments provided patients enhanced pain relief and decreased the number of headaches that occurred. Furthermore, it also mitigated the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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