Cervicogenic Headaches & Chiropractic- What, Why and How!

Cervicogenic headaches, characterized by pain that originates from the neck but is felt in the head, can be a debilitating condition that significantly impacts daily life. While many people turn to medication for relief, chiropractic care offers a non-pharmacological approach that targets the root cause of these headaches, rather than treating the symptoms. Let's delve into the intricate relationship between chiropractic care and cervicogenic headaches.

Cervicogenic headaches stem from dysfunction or irritation in the cervical spine (neck region). This can occur due to various factors such as poor posture, muscle tension or underlying conditions like arthritis or disc herniation. When the nerves, muscles, or joints in the neck are affected, they can refer pain to the head, resulting in cervicogenic headaches.

How we can help

• Spinal subluxations: Chiropractors specialize in assessing and correcting spinal misalignments, known as subluxations, which can contribute to cervicogenic headaches. Through gentle adjustments, chiropractic care aims to restore proper alignment and mobility to the spine, alleviating pressure on the nerves and reducing headache symptoms.
• Postural Correction: Poor posture, such as slouching or forward head posture, can place excessive strain on the neck and upper back, leading to cervicogenic headaches. When your brain and nervous system develops a compensation pattern in response to pain or an injury, your posture will change and adapt to enable you to feel more comfortable. 
• Working with your brain and nervous system: tension around the neck and shoulders can increase due to muscles not functioning as they should. They do this to compensate for the loss of shoulder stability meaning that they will get tight and become overworked, further increasing the tension coming from the neck which is going to produce more headaches.

Research conducted by Bryans et al, 2011, suggests that individuals suffering from migraines and cervicogenic headaches can improve with chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation. Here at Peak Chiropractic, during our initial consultation we do a thorough examination of your brain, nervous system, muscles and your joints so that we can identify and also rectify the reason why you are getting headaches so that they don’t come back in the future! Book in via our website or phone number to get yourself booked in with one of expert clinicians now!

References 

Bryans, R., Descarreaux, M., Duranleau, M., Marcoux, H., Potter, B., Ruegg, R., Shaw, L., Watkin, R., & White, E. (2011). Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 34(5), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2011.04.008