We see a large number of people with headaches in our State College office, and Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes has been able to provide relief for many of them. For that matter, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 50% of all adults have difficulty with some sort of headache disorder, so this certainly isn’t surprising. One of the most prevalent kinds of headaches that our patients are afflicted with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily for us, chiropractic can usually help.
A cervicogenic headache is one that starts from a problem in the cervical spine. It might be as a result of a condition with either the spine itself (primarily, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be brought on by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine produces constriction or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.
How can you know if the headache you are suffering from is a cervicogenic headache? Other than receiving a diagnosis from a healthcare professional, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is sometimes combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.
Seeing that cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever problem is generating them is corrected, it is critical to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an effective approach, and one that can provide a considerable amount of relief.
In one study reported in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, experts followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half of them 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 found that chiropractic provided the best effects.
Specifically, this study noted that chiropractic adjustments gave patients better pain relief and diminished the number of headaches that occurred. Additionally, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.
To find out what Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes can do for you and your headaches, call our office today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you need!
References
Dr. Matt Reyes was born and raised in Apalachin, a small town in Upstate New York. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Fitness Development from the State University at New York College at Cortland. He then fulfilled his ambition to become a Doctor of Chiropractic when he graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2013.
