Globally, 47 percent of the population suffers from headaches. This disabling pain ranges from general headaches and migraine to tension headaches and chronic daily headaches. An estimated 15–20 percent of people between the ages of 20 and 59 experience cervicogenic headaches.
Cervicogenic headaches are a type of referred pain which means that the pain feels as though it’s coming from another part of the body other than its real source. Typically cervicogenic headaches originate in the neck, but they’re felt in the head. People who suffer from them are confued about the source of the pain which makes diagnosing the ailment difficult.
Causes
Cervicogenic headaches stem from problems in the neck and radiate to surrounding areas. The excruciating pain can be triggered by different degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis – especially in aging adults. This degenerative joint disease—also called cervical spondylosis—causes pain and stiffness in the neck that leads to frequent headaches.
Cervicogenic headaches can also be caused by trauma like whiplash and other neck injuries. Whiplash-related headaches are caused by a sudden, forceful movement of the head and neck. These headaches are commonly felt at the back of the head and can last for months after you sustained the injury like a car accident or sports injury.
Behaviors that distort your neck’s natural alignment can also trigger cervicogenic headaches. Straining your neck by hunching over a computer or poor posture can become worse over time and leave you with neck stiffness and pain.
Symptoms
Cervicogenic headaches often present the same symptoms as migraines, making it difficult to diagnose the condition. Cervical muscle tenderness, shooting pain, and tingling sensations are initial signs of cervicogenic headaches.
Many patients experience the painful symptoms in structures of the cervical region—including the joints, ligaments, vertebral arteries, and cervical nerve roots. Common symptoms of the condition include stiffness and soreness in the neck, accompanied by a more limited range of motion.
Cervicogenic pain is characterized by radicular pain that spreads outward from the neck; it usually affects the head, arms, and shoulders and varies in intensity.
If you have a headaches that comes on suddenly and worsens over time, see your doctor immediately.
Treatment
Adequate diagnosis is the first step to effectively treating cervicogenic headaches. At Houston Neurosurgery & Spine’s neck and spine center Houston in Houston, we offer treatment options for each individual patient’s condition. Our pain management strategies which include a combination of physical therapy, medication, micro-neurosurgery, and spine procedures can provide effective relief from cervicogenic headaches as well as other neurological disorders.
We can use a range of minimally-invasive procedures to relieve the severe neck shoulder pain Houston you’re experiencing. Each treatment is done using the latest, state-of-the-art procedures to address the root cause of your condition.
Call us at 832.522.8500 to schedule an appointment with our cervical pain specialist in Houston, Texas.