Memphis Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a lot of men and women with headaches in our Memphis office, and Dr. Amodeo has been able to help many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that 50 percent of all adults have difficulty with some sort of headache disorder, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most prevalent types of headaches that our patients are afflicted with is cervicogenic headache which, fortunately, chiropractic can usually help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be because of an issue with either the spine itself (specifically, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it might be due to a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine produces squeezing or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can bring on headache pain.

How do you distinguish if the headache you are being affected by is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare expert, 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.

Chiropractic to the Rescue

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is causing them is remedied, it is vital to get treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective solution, and one that provides a considerable amount of relief.

In one study published in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts evaluated 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent received chiropractic care and the other 50% 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 outcomes.

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

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