C- Interventions for Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic Headache:
• Contrary to common belief, headaches do not always originate from the brain or other structures in the head. It was long hypothesized and debated that headaches could also stem from the neck, leading to the term cervicogenic (neck-originated) headache being introduced into medicine in 1983.
• Various disorders in structures such as nerve roots, bones, muscles, joints, and discs located in the neck or at the back of the head can manifest as headaches. Particularly, disorders and arthritic changes in the facet joints, where the vertebrae sit on top of one another, lead to cervicogenic headaches.
• Facet joints have internal nerves similar to dental nerves. In conditions like osteoarthritis, joint inflammations, or traumas, facet joints can be damaged at any level, most commonly in the lumbar and subsequently cervical regions. This causes impingement in the internal nerves, giving rise to what's referred to as facet joint syndrome.
• The pain is usually unilateral. However, depending on the location and degree of neck disorders, pain may occur on both sides. There might be movement restrictions in various directions in the neck, and certain neck movements may trigger headaches.
• Patients complaining of cervicogenic headaches often have histories of rigorous sporting activities or head and neck trauma (e.g., car accidents).
• Even a simple collision in a car accident can cause damage that leads to cervicogenic headaches later on. In such cases, the rapid whip-like back-and-forth movement of the head can cause injury.
• The intensity and duration of pain vary from patient to patient. The pain typically begins in the neck and is characterized as non-throbbing and non-stabbing.
• Although symptoms like nausea, light and sound sensitivity, which are prominently observed in migraines, can also occur in cervicogenic headaches, they are less frequent and less pronounced.
• Unfortunately, as is the case with many types of headaches, patients with cervicogenic headaches have often been mistakenly treated for migraines and received migraine therapy.
