Cervical Headaches- A Pain in the Neck?

Crystal DeBiaso, DPT

 

       Cervicogenic headache is a term that describes a headache that is caused by an injury to the neck.  Damage to the soft or bony tissues can occur either as a result of a trauma, such as whiplash, or with wear and tear over time.  It is possible that you may experience pain in your neck and/or arm as well.

If you have frequent headaches, there is a chance that the underlying cause is somewhere in your neck.  Cervicogenic headaches often go misdiagnosed as migraines, as the pain is quite similar.  A physical therapist trained in mechanical examination and treatment of spinal disorders can help you to determine the source of the pain, along with treatment to the source of the pain. This is done via posture correction, manual therapy techniques and proper exercises to help you spine be realigned in its proper position.  This is a non-surgical, non-manipulative technique.  The techniques have been researched extensively at the McKenzie Institute, the leader in mechanical diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders. To find out more you can visit www.mckenziemdt.org.   Physical Therapy Center of Bristol LLC has trained McKenzie therapists on staff to assist you in your recovery.  Our goal is to assist you in getting over this episode of pain and teach you techniques that you can use daily to prevent recurrence of your symptoms.  The physical therapists are also trained to look out for red flags that may point to a more serious cause of your headaches, for which we will refer you back to your physician for further examination.

There are many studies reporting the effectiveness of physical therapy treatment of cervicogenic headache.  The majority of subjects report a decrease in use of pain medication, and a decrease in the frequency and severity of headaches.  Many subjects report continued relief from headache pain 12 months following treatment.

If you think going to physical therapy is a burden,  it is important to understand how it can actually save you a lot of time, money, and suffering in the long run.  The key is to see a physical therapist trained in mechanical diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders from the McKenzie Institute.  It has been reported that passive modalities on this population has no effect on the functional outcome of patients. Thousands of dollars are spent by cervicogenic headache sufferers on unnecessary diagnostic imaging, repeat visits to the doctor, unnecessary pain medication, passive modalities and lost time from work.  Not only can a physical therapist treat your condition in just a few short weeks, they will also give you the tools you will need to treat your own pain for the rest of your life! 

If you have frequent headaches, see your doctor and ask for a prescription for physical therapy to Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC.   Then call our office, Bristol 585-5800, Plantsville 272-8490 or email craig@ptcbristol.com.  You can always stop by the office and we will get you on the road to recovery. We will perform a thorough examination and determine if your problem can be solved using our methods or if we need to refer you to a specialist. So, if you want to stop using medications and take a pro active approach to your symptoms for headache give us a call and we will help.

           

Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC has two locations serving the communities of Bristol, Burlington, Terryville, Plainville, Southington, Plantsville, Cheshire and Meriden.  In Bristol, we are located at 135 Middle Street, 585-5800 and in Plantsville we are at 1090 Meriden Waterbury Turnpike, 272-8490.  

    Physical Therapy Center of Bristol, LLC is central Connecticut’s most trusted name in Physical Therapy since 2003.  We specialize  outpatient physical therapy in orthopedics, sports, spine, women’s health and vestibular disorders.

 

 

References:

1. Nilsson N, Christensen HW, Hartvigsen J.  The effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of cervicogenic headache.  J Manipulative Physical Therapy 1997; 20:326-330
2. Jull GA, Stanton WR. Predictors of responsiveness to physiotherapy management of cervicogenic headache.  Cephalalgia. 2005; 25:101-18
3. Jull G, Trott P, Potter H, Zito G, Niere K, Shirley D, et al. A randomized controlled trial of exercise and manipulative therapy for cervicogenic headache. Spine. 2002; 27:1835-1843
4. Biondi D. Physical treatments for headache: a structured review.  Headache. 2005; 45:1-9
5. Fleming R, Forsythe S, Cook C. Influential variables associated with outcomes in patients with cervicogenic headache.  J Manual and Manipulative Therapy. 2007; 15:3: 155-164
6. Hall T, Chan HT, Chistensen L, Odenthal B, Wells C, Robinson K. Efficacy of a C1-C2 self sustained natural apophyseal glide (SNAG) in the management of cervicogenic headache. Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. 2007; 35:3: 100-107

Tags: cervical, headaches, Physical therapy

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Bristol, Burlington, Cheshire, Meriden, NECK PAIN, Plainville, Plantsville, Southington, Spine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.