Mr. N came into my office with symptoms of one sided headaches and eye pain rated at "10" on a 1-10 scale. He had them for months. His MD told him he had cluster headaches, yet a headache specialist told him he had migraines. The medications did not work and actually made him feel worse. When I examined him for this common malady, I pressed on the one or two spots that I had a strong sense were the culprit, and to Mr. N's relief, the pain was exactly reproduced. He was relieved because he knew that if I could touch his pain, I could relieve it.
That is exactly what happened. He had a painfully stiff cervical facet joint, a joint in the neck spine that commonly refers pain onto the head and face, including the eye and forehead. He also had painful muscle knots, called trigger points, that when pressed upon, did the same thing. After releasing tension in both the joint and muscle trigger points, Mr. N commented that his headache was down to a "2" on the same 1-10 scale. I am confident that after a bit more treatment and exercise/posture instruction, his headaches will be a thing of the past.
Although headaches are no laughing matter and should be properly assessed, the more commonly and innocent causes should be looked for and treated using safe and effective techniques. "Cervicogenic" headaches, or headaches having their origin in neck (cervical) structures, are incredibly common and often overlooked by the medical profession. They are often over-medicated and cause much unneeded suffering and disability, yet respond wonderfully to chiropractic care. Have a headache? Get your neck checked.
That is exactly what happened. He had a painfully stiff cervical facet joint, a joint in the neck spine that commonly refers pain onto the head and face, including the eye and forehead. He also had painful muscle knots, called trigger points, that when pressed upon, did the same thing. After releasing tension in both the joint and muscle trigger points, Mr. N commented that his headache was down to a "2" on the same 1-10 scale. I am confident that after a bit more treatment and exercise/posture instruction, his headaches will be a thing of the past.
Although headaches are no laughing matter and should be properly assessed, the more commonly and innocent causes should be looked for and treated using safe and effective techniques. "Cervicogenic" headaches, or headaches having their origin in neck (cervical) structures, are incredibly common and often overlooked by the medical profession. They are often over-medicated and cause much unneeded suffering and disability, yet respond wonderfully to chiropractic care. Have a headache? Get your neck checked.
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