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North County, St. Louis, MO Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a considerable number of individuals with headaches in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and Dr. Mark Holland has been able to help many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 percent of all adults have difficulties with some manner of headache problems, so this really isn’t unexpected. One of the most frequent types of headaches that our patients experience is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can usually help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

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

How do you identify if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Aside from getting a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally associated with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps

Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is initiating them is corrected, it is crucial to receive treatment rather than just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that offers a considerable amount of pain relief.

In one study printed in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, specialists looked at 80 people who had recurrent cervicogenic headaches. One-half got 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 found that chiropractic delivered the optimum results.

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

To find out what Dr. Mark Holland 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/
April 03, 2017
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Dr. Holland

We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.