Happy New Year!

Many people that come to our office complain of headaches and/or neack pain and do not realize the connection between the muscles and joints of the neck/shoulder and referred pain to the sinus area. 

A study from Norway (Acta Neurol Scand 2007;Nov.20; Sjaastad O, Bakketeig LS) showed that about 4% of the population will have this type of headache at any given time. Taking medications to cover the pain will not ultimately correct a mechanical neck problem.

Cervicogenic headache is the term used to describe a headache that has its cause in the neck region. It used to be thought that headaches were caused by something in the head itself, but researchers have now learned that neck injuries can produce head pain.  For some people it is a difficult concept to understand; how can irritation in your neck cause pain in your head?

The common symptoms of a cervicogenic or tension headache are as follows: one-sided head pain, same side shoulder, arm pain and pain in the sinus region surrounding the eyes. Patients may also have limited mobility of the neck region. Rarely a patient may also have a migraine trait such as numbness, nausea, vomiting, or throbbing sensations. Because of these different signs from a typical migraine headache a physician may have overlooked the neck as a potential source for the cause of your head pain. Self-diagnosing your headache can be even worse since potentially serious causes of your head pain, such as high blood pressure may go undiscovered and left untreated. In any case it's unlikely that your headache has been caused by a deficiency of pain pills in your diet.

The most common cause of cervicogenic or tension headaches are trigger points (aka knots) in the mucles of the neck and/or shoulders.  When muscles get tight enough they refer or "shoot" pain to predictable areas.  This is becoming more frequent as more occupations are geared toward computer and desk work.  Combine that with poor posture and a sedentary lifestyle, the muscles of the neck and shoulders very easily become irritated.  Just as muscles can be trained to be toned, bigger, loose, etc; they can be trained to go the opposite way; tight, weak and painful.

In the diagram below, the X's represent trigger points in a neck muscle and the red regions are where it may refer to.

trigger_point.png

Our office specializes in the treatment of neck related head pain, especially cervicogenic and tension headaches. To determine this we have to perform a comprehensive examination of your spine to see if irritation of your neck joints and/or muscles are present and review whether you've suffered a trauma in years past that could have affected the posture and mobility of these delicate spinal structures.

For patients who do not wish to go down the road of medications for treating their headaches,  Chiropractic care can be a more healthful option.

                                         

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