Cervicogenic Headaches and Dizziness

Many people will, at some point in their lives, experience the discomfort and inconvenience of a headache. Painful headaches can effect concentration, sleep and your activities of daily life.

Cervicogenic headache is a type of condition that the chiropractic and osteopathic team at Reflex Spinal Health see regularly. Cervicogenic headache originates from the upper neck (cervical spine) and then refer upwards into the head. It is a common condition that regularly turns into a ongoing problem. A common pattern of the headache is to feel it start at the base of the skull, travel up the back of the head, across the temples and then sit behind the eyes.

What are Cervicogenic Headaches?

Cervicogenic headaches is classified as a secondary headache due to the pain arising from the neck as opposed to the head. Symptoms experienced arise from dysfunction within the upper cervical vertebrae and surrounding muscles. When these highly innervated structures become irritated they increase the local sensitivity which then begins to radiate into the head. It is believed this is due to the convergence of sensory nerves from the neck and the trigeminal nerve (that supplies sensation to the scalp and face). At Reflex Spinal Health we often find this headache is also strongly linked with people who suffer migraine as well. The majority of migraine headaches are not pure migraine. The majority of these are triggered by the mechanical restriction, and loss of function, in the cervical spine which then acts as a trigger for people who have migrainous tendencies. What this means is that if the cervical spine is working well it becomes extremely unlikely that a migraine will be triggered. Your chiropractor or osteopath will be able to determine what is involved at your examination.

Who Gets This Condition?

Desk workers sitting with Anterior Head Carriage
Most common in Over 35’s
Post Road Traffic Collision or a Fall
Those with History of Neck or Back Pain
Those with High Levels of Stress or Tension
Migraine Headache Sufferers
People with Poor Posture

What is the Treatment for This Condition?

As cervicogenic headaches are of a secondary nature they can be easily missed and, at times, difficult to determine their origin. The best way to diagnose a cervicogenic headache is through a thorough case history and examination, focussing on posture of the head and neck. This will take into account range of motion, muscle strength and any apparent tenderness. This is exactly what your Reading Chiropractors and Osteopaths in Reading are experts at doing! Our priority is to give you pain relief, reduce the structural tension, improve your posture and then review your needs for any further chiropractic or osteopathic treatment.

More Detail About This Treatment

After a correct diagnosis has been made and the causative structures identified, care will be recommended to relieve your pain as fast as possible . It has been found that chiropractic and osteopathy manual spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck and upper back are highly effective at reducing pain, improving range of motion and reducing frequency and severity of headaches. The aim of treatment is to improve cervical mobility and function of the neck and upper back leading to better posture and removing the contributory influences of your headaches. To then maintain these changes, the posture adaptations can be rehabilitated through strengthening and stretching exercise to suit your needs.

If you have any questions please contact Reflex Spinal Health (we are in Caversham, Reading) and ask to speak to one of our chiropractors or osteopathic team. Consult us for effective headache treatment in Reading, Berkshire. We have helped many people with a history of cervicogenic headache to Feel Alive!