Feb 12
4
Cervicogenic (Neck) Headaches
The next time you feel the onset of a headache, you might want to have a look down and take note of your posture and body position. If you’re hunched over a computer or playing a video game, chances are you’re suffering from an increasingly common complaint known as a cervicogenic headache.
We’re seeing more and more patients with cervicogenic headaches – more commonly known as neck headaches. People are working longer hours hunched over a computer and end up going home in the evening with shooting pain in their back and neck that results in a headache. Many of us are at risk. In fact, if you spend any more than 70 per cent of your time at work with your neck bent forward at 20 degrees, which is the same as reading, writing or looking down at a computer, you’re at increased risk of a neck headache.1”
It’s not just adults who are suffering from neck headaches. We’re noticing an increase in the number of kids and young adults suffering as a result of spending hours engrossed in video games and computer usage, oblivious to their posture and the strain they’re placing on their growing bodies. It’s a trend that has increased in school-aged children since the 1990s. And, interestingly, we’re seeing it more often in girls than in boys. Researchers in Finland have discovered that, by age 14, 24 per cent of girls and 12 per cent of boys have suffered from some form of neck and shoulder pain. By the time they’re 18, those numbers jump to 45 per cent of girls and 19 per cent of boys.2 They’re numbers that we’re seeing mirrored here in Canada. Neck headaches are certainly nothing new. However, what is alarming to myself and my colleagues within the our company is the frequency with which they are occurring in modern society, especially in this age of continuous computer usage and increased video game playing.
One of the leading causes of neck headaches is simply bad posture. Imagine a person sitting at their desk, in front of their computer. As the hours pass, their posture gets worse, their head drops down, their back and shoulders roll forward, placing a lot of tension on the neck muscles. Meanwhile, those muscles are trying to fight back and keep your head in proper alignment. As a result of this tension, they end up experiencing increased stress and strain on the muscles and joints of the upper neck and this results in a neck headache. Neck headaches can sometimes last days or even months. The pain is described as a viselike pressure across the head and, while not as severe as a migraine, can be just as debilitating in extreme cases. Fortunately, relieving the pain can be done without medication or invasive techniques.
A Nose Creek Sport physiotherapist can assess and treat a patient’s neck headache through a multifaceted approach, including stretching of tight muscles, strengthening of weak muscles and gentle mobilization or manipulation of the neck joints. The ideal solution is preventing neck headaches from ever happening. That’s where a Nose Creek Sport physiotherapist can also help by advising patients on maintaining correct posture, providing suggestions on more ergonomic workspaces, and educating them on how to properly lift and use their muscles in a way that will help them avoid such problems in the future. Click here to see the home exercise program that we provide for cervicogenic headache patients. You can get started on this, but if your symptoms are not resolving, we recommend that you call us for an assessment (403-275-7728).
The start to the year is off like a race! Now do not forget that this month has 2 important themes in it. They are Valentine’s Day (February 14th) and Family Day. (February 20th)
For valentine’s day, give the gift of health to your loved one, a Massage Therapy session. Due to popular demand we are bringing back the Massage Therapy special. We are offering this for a limited time for the month of February.
| Buy a 1 hour Massage Therapy session and receive a 25% discount Regular Price: $85.00+GST Sale Price: $63.75+GST You Save $21.25 |
Buy two 1 hour Massage Therapy sessions and get the 2nd at a 50% discount Regular Price:= $170+GST Sale Price:= $127.50+GST You Save $42.50 |
Buy three 1 hour Massage Therapy sessions and get the fourth FREE! Regular Price:= $340.00+GST Sale Price:= $255.00+GST You Save $85.00 |
For family day, give the gift of support. We are putting our cervical rolls on sale this month.
If you or one of your family members is having problems sleeping due to neck pain or cervicogenic headaches, you would benefit from a neck roll. The purpose of the neck roll is to help maintain the neck in the neutral position to take pressure off the ligaments in the back of the neck. We will often give them to patients and you simply insert the roll into your pillowcase, and it assists you with sleeping better during the night.
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Buy Neck rolls Regular Price:= $33.00+GST Sale Price:= $19.99+GST You Save $13.00 |
Don’t forget we are still collecting ideas for the name the newsletter contest. Email your submission for a name to info@calgaryphysicaltherapy.com.
Blair Schachterle
on behalf of your Nose Creek Sport Physical Therapy and Massage Therapy team.
References:
1)- Ariens GA, Bongers PM, Hoogendoom WE, et al. 2002. High physical and psychosocial load at work and
sickness absence due to neck pain. Scand J Work Environ Health, 28; 222-231
2)- Hakala P, Rimpela A, Salminen JJ, Virtanen SM, Rimpela M. 2002 Back, neck and shoulder pain in
Finnish adolescents: national cross sectional surveys. BMJ 325 p 743
If you find this information useful, feel free to share it with your friends, family, and work colleagues.
We appreciate your feedback. If you have any topics of interest that you would like us to cover, please leave a comment below.
Nose Creek Sport Physical Therapy is located in Calgary, Alberta since 2001, providing Physiotherapy and Therapeutic and Relaxation Massage Therapy services. Our services include Manual Therapy, exercise prescription, modalities, acupuncture, IMS Dry Needling, Massage Therapy, Custom SOLE footbeds, patient education, and injury prevention.