A Fort Myers Veteran Calls Me, Dr. Timothy Harcourt, Director of Coast Chiropractic Centers Seeking Answers About Having Surgery For His Headaches
Nov 10, 2021 -- Posted by :We certainly hope not. Unless you have a brain tumor, surgery is rarely an option considered by people with benign headaches. When we say benign, we mean not caused by cancer or some other serious medical disorder. Benign headaches can, in fact, be quite disabling and can completely disrupt a person’s quality of life.
Although most headaches are treated conservatively, surgeons have recently begun to take an interest. In 2008, Dr. Jürgen Jansen reported on a group of 60 patients who underwent operations to treat cervicogenic headaches, or headaches originating in the neck. These types of headaches respond very well to chiropractic adjustments. In Dr. Jansen’s study, he reports removing the disks of C4, C5, and C6 levels in different patients. He analyzed the results over two years later and found that the conditions of about 36-37% of the patients had deteriorated. Although Dr. Jansen thinks surgery should be considered more often based on his case series, the lack of a control group makes his results suspect, modest as they are.
Surgery is really a very last step in the treatment palette patients should consider. Unfortunately, many patients only consider medications as options for headache management. For some patients, taking large quantities of over-the-counter drugs to treat their headaches can even aggravate their headaches and make them worse.
The important thing is to first get your headache properly diagnosed because only then can a specific treatment be applied. What is somewhat underappreciated is how common spinal problems can cause head pain.
Cervicogenic and tension-type headaches can commonly result from whiplash trauma and other acceleration injuries of the head and neck. This type of trauma can sprain the cervical ligaments and disks, and cause tears in muscle fibers. Tension-type and cervicogenic headaches have been shown in randomized clinical trials to respond favorably to chiropractic adjustive care. These studies have also shown minimal side effects when compared to certain medications. This is especially true for tension-type medication treatments.
So, if you are experiencing headaches and type in pain management near me, you may find Coast Chiropractic Centers with Dr. Timothy Harcourt, me, comes up.
You may wonder, “Do I need an MRI scan of my brain or neck.” Also, if you feel arm pain it may indicate things are getting worse and may indicate a bulge on the disc or worse yet a herniated disc in your neck. Some people have a feeling of their “head aching.”
What type of headache is it to include tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraine headaches, sinus headaches, or toxic headaches?
Regardless of the type, it can leave you feeling exhausted fatigued, nauseous, and even depressed. Some get severe pain behind the eyes. Persistent or worsening pain intensity and/or frequency necessitates a visit to see a professional.
Call me, Dr. Tim Harcourt, at (239) 278-3344 and mention this article for an awesome discounted first visit to include history, exam, and adjustment or Class IV high-intensity laser treatment.