Portland, ME Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a lot of men and women with headaches in our Portland, ME office, and Dr. Abby Power have been able to aid many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that half of all adults deal with some manner of headache disorder, so this really isn’t surprising. One of the most common kinds of headaches which our patients experience is cervicogenic headache which, happily, chiropractic can commonly help.

What is a Cervicogenic Headache?

A cervicogenic headache is one that comes from issues in the cervical spine. It can be generated by an issue with either the spine itself (particularly, 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 creates compaction or irritation of the spinal nerves, which can bring about headache pain.

How can you tell if the headache you are struggling with is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a frequent symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or pain in your neck. This is sometimes associated with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Considering cervicogenic headaches will not go away until whatever problem is triggering them is corrected, it is important 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 headache pain relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers looked at 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. Fifty percent were given 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 delivered the best results.

In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments gave patients greater pain relief and decreased the number of headaches that occurred. Moreover, it also minimized the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

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