Here’s the problem that I see with headaches. Most people burdened by headaches can not think clearly enough to take the steps necessary to rid their lives of the misery of chronic pain.
I get it – that was me!
I couldn’t get through the day without a muzzy painful head. I didn’t really know why I was having daily headaches, I just wanted to be like everyone else, who smiled and laughed and went to work and generally just got on with life.
Free Posture Video Crash Course!
That wasn’t me. I was working for the Sports Clubs of Canada at the time. I remember being at my desk, rubbing my head in misery while trying to complete my sales calls. The pain wasn’t particularly dramatic – it just seemed to be there more days than not. It was a burden, a drain, a constant weighing down. Life didn’t feel as good with a headache.
One day, I discovered I didn’t have to live my life with the burden of a headache. That was the moment I had my first Chiropractic adjustment, and that moment changed my life.
Recently, I’m reminded of what it is to have chronic headaches, due to my current hormonal haze of perimenopause. A resurgence of headaches has me eager to share my knowledge of headaches, and how I survive and treat my own headaches successfully – for the most part. I am quite certain this can help you too.
Cervicogenic Headaches
The term “cervicogenic headache” was actually coined in 1983. Although there is a long-standing notion that headaches can originate from structures in the neck and can be treated using manual approaches, it is only during the past two decades that the topic of cervicogenic headache has gained attention in the mainstream medical literature.
Signs and Symptoms
The cervicogenic headache is described as a unilateral or one-sided headache, generally starting in the neck and moving forwards. The headache generally dominates on one side. When the headache is severe, however, it may also be felt on the opposite side, but to a lesser extent.
There are also signs pertaining to the neck, such as reduced range of motion in the neck and mechanical stimulation applied on the affected neck area reproducing the headache symptoms. These strongly suggest cervical involvement in producing headaches. Sometimes, same-side shoulder/arm sensations and even pain have been reported.
People with a cervicogenic headache may report that the pain fluctuates, is continuous, lasts only a very short period of time, begins after long intervals, or starts up upon waking in the morning.
Prevalence
Studies support that cervicogenic headache is common. However, there is a great deal of variation in the perceived prevalence in the general population. For example, prevalence rates seem to range from 0.4% to 80%. It seems the disparity is due to contrasting diagnostic criteria being used in each study. The average affected age is 43,2, and the female/male distribution appears to have more agreement in the literature at 80% female, 20% male.
