It’s said that up to 95% of people have, at one time in their life, experienced a headache. According to the National Headache Foundation (NHF), over 45 million people in America have chronic, reoccurring headaches. This directly and indirectly results into billions of dollars spent on medical expenses (medications, doctor’s visits, hospital visits, etc.), lost work days, and difficulties in daily activities. One of the most common types of headaches is called cervicogenic headaches. Cervicogenic headaches are headaches that originate from the neck.
Every year more and more medications are prescribed while the incidence of chronic, reoccurring headaches continues to rise. People with cervicogenic headaches may or may not have neck pain. Pain is referred from the neck and can be located in the back of the head, wrap around the side of the head, or reside behind the eye.
Cervicogenic headaches are where the nerves from your neck provide input to the nerves that run into your head (specifically the trigeminal cranial nerve and the accessory cranial nerve). The difficultly behind diagnosing cervicogenic headaches is that they can have similar characteristics of primary headaches such as migraines and tension headaches.
What are the treatment options? Before any treatment is given a true understanding of the cause should be examined. The most common approach to treating headaches is medication. Unfortunately, Americans spend billions on medications only to provide temporary relief of their headaches.
The negatives of using medications are that they can have side effects and other potential dangers. Common medications, such as Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS), are known to cause an increased risk of cardiovascular disease events (heart attacks or strokes), gastrointestinal bleeding, and other serious complications. Commonly taken NSAIDS are aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen (Aleve and Naprelan), and Celebrex.
If medication has been your source of pain relief, make sure you know the potential side effects of long-term use. The worst scenario is to be creating one problem while you think you are helping another. Additionally, ask yourself whether you are really addressing the cause of your headaches. Medications for chronic headaches are often taken for temporary pain relief. This is why headaches return when you stop taking them.
If you are unsure if your headaches may be originating from your neck, talk to your family chiropractor. Doctors of Chiropractic are trained specifically in the detection and correction of spinal stress which can result in headaches. Chiropractic care has been shown to be highly effective for those suffering with chronic cervicogenic headaches.
Chronic headaches can be life altering. They can take you away from your work, your family, and from your regular life activities. If you believe your headaches might be caused by your neck, consider talking with your family chiropractor. Your chiropractor may be able to help correct the cause of your headache versus just medicating for temporary relief.
-by Dr. Brandon Crouch
About the Author: Dr. Brandon Crouch is a Chiropractor with Crouch Family Chiropractic. He is an advocate for being proactive when it comes to your health and encourages people to make healthy informed decisions. For more information you can go online at: www.crouchfamilychiro.com.
