Many people treat headaches as a medical condition and take medication to relieve their pain. A headache is often a sign of a more serious condition. The body uses the ache as a signal to the brain that there is something wrong. Medication can mask the pain and have side-effects that can be dangerous. True headache relief often requires treating the source of the pain, which is often in the upper neck.

Chronic Headaches

According to the National Headache Foundation, more than 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches. Not only are adults affected, but so are adolescents and children. Around 20% of them experience severe headaches. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache for children, adolescents, and adults. They are caused by muscle contraction.

Experts believe that cervicogenic headaches are caused by the contraction of neck muscles and tissues. These muscles can spasm and cause pain to travel to the head instead of being felt in the neck. Whiplash injuries are common, but it is not the only cause of headaches. Anything that causes irritation to the neck muscles or cervical portion of the spin could be the cause.

Cervicogenic Headaches

These are one of five types of headaches that the National Institutes of Health classification system lists. They are caused by neck disorders, which include anatomical structures that are innervated through the C1-C3 cervical roots. These headaches can be caused by prolonged awkward positioning of the head, or neck movement. The headache can also be accompanied by arm, shoulder, neck, or neck pains or restricted ranges of motion in the cervical region.

A headache diagnosis does not require any special scans, nor are there any laboratory or orthopedic tests that can be used to diagnose it.

Clinical Diagnosis

A headache is classified by the medical community as a clinical diagnosis. This means that it is based upon information gleaned from a physical examination and a thorough medical history. A MRI or another test is used to diagnose headaches that are not due to disease in less than 10% of cases. A thorough case history is the best way to diagnose headaches.

Cervicogenic headaches are similar to tension headaches or migraine headaches, so it is difficult to diagnose. This type of headache can also lead to migraine, stress, tension, cluster, and stress. Treatments such as medication are not always effective in relieving headaches. Rebound headaches can be caused by overuse of medication. This is due to toxic substances in the body that are overused.

Treatment

Cervicogenic headache treatment must be able to pinpoint the source of the pain. There are approximately 20 muscles in the neck, which can lead to many problems. In spasm, neck muscles can restrict nerves’ movement, causing irritation, pain, or even loss of function. A cervicogenic headache is characterized by pain that originates at the base of your neck and moves into your head. The base of the neck might feel tender at the beginning. The headache can be worsened by moving the neck or head.

Cervicogenic headaches are not always treatable. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment for headache relief.

Conclusion

Many times, chiropractic techniques like spinal manipulation are used to treat cervicogenic headaches. There is strong evidence to support chiropractic spinal manipulation as a treatment for cervicogenic headaches. The Spine Journal published a study in February 2010 that supported the idea that chiropractors are qualified to treat headaches.