Lincoln Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

Lincoln Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a great number of individuals with headaches in our Lincoln office, and Dr. Jerrad Swanson DC, FMT, DN1 has been able to assist many of them. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50 percent of all adults deal with some kind of headache disorder, so this certainly isn’t shocking. One of the most common varieties of headaches that our patients are afflicted by is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from an issue in the cervical spine. It could be as a result of a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be a result of a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This problem in your spine brings about compaction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can result in headache pain.

How do you find out if the headache you are enduring is a cervicogenic headache? Besides being given a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a typical symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes accompanied by pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Since cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever issue is inducing them is remedied, it is essential to receive treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists studied 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other half underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was evaluated 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment and it was discovered that chiropractic delivered the most beneficial effects.

Specifically, this study found that chiropractic adjustments provided patients more significant pain relief and reduced the number of headaches that occurred. In addition to that, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Jerrad Swanson DC, FMT, DN1 can do for you and your headaches, call our office 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/