Yakima Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a lot of folks with headaches in our Yakima office, and Dr. Covington has been able to support many of them. Of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that half of all adults struggle with some manner of headache problem, so this actually isn’t shocking. One of the most prevalent types of headaches that our patients deal with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Explained

A cervicogenic headache is one that stems from problems in the cervical spine. It could be caused by a problem with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it may be caused by 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 identify if the headache you are feeling is a cervicogenic headache? Apart from being given a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, a frequent 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

Because cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is triggering them is remedied, it is vital to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that offers a considerable amount of headache pain relief.

In one study released in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers evaluated 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half got chiropractic care and the other half underwent light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic offered the optimum effects.

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

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