Dealing With Headaches & Migraines?
Cervicogenic headaches, which affect a large percentage of headache sufferers, are caused by issues with the neck. A cervicogenic headache typically manifests as restricted motion in the joints of your upper cervical spine. Your neck has several joints, each of which can move freely and independently.
In some cases, there may be some restrictions in the upper cervical spine that initiate a painful cycle of stiffness, muscle tightness and joint inflammation. This may cause increased irritation and sensitivity in the nerves leading from your neck into the back of your head.
Pain frequently begins at the base of the skull and then spreads to the top of the head and even the area over the eyes. The pain may occasionally radiate into your arm.
These headache episodes can last anywhere from hours to days. The pain is ongoing but fluctuating and is often described as "deep." You may also be subject to chronic neck tenderness and stiffness.
The condition is more commonly found when patients have recently experienced some form of trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or an earlier concussion.
Middle-aged persons are frequently affected, and women are four times as likely than males to have the disorder. Sometimes bad posture, such as a "slouched" or "forward head" position, causes cervicogenic headaches.
Make sure to contact us immediately if at any point you find yourself experiencing a sudden onset of a severe headache, a new or unfamiliar headache, or if you notice significant neck stiffness, rash, numbness or tingling on your face.
If you experience abrupt lightheadedness, dizziness, loss of consciousness, trouble speaking, trouble swallowing, trouble walking, nausea, numbness radiating into your arms or legs, or fever, call our office right once.
Make sure that you are drinking 6-8 glasses of water each day, more in hot weather or when you've been sweating. Since cervicogenic headaches are the result of a mechanical problem, medicines are often ineffective. We have numerous tools to help us fix this issue, which is fortunate.
