Cervicogenic headache: the neck is a generator: con
One page on PainSci cites Vincent 2010: The Complete Guide to Chronic Tension Headaches
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Cervicogenic headache (CeH) is a well-recognized headache syndrome, distinguishable from other primary and secondary headaches. Although in some cases a cervical lesion may be detected in connection with the headache, many CeH patients have no demonstrable lesion. Besides, most of the frequent cervical diseases, such as spondylosis and disc herniations, do not present with headache of the cervicogenic type. This suggests that the neck is not an independent headache generator. CeH may depend in addition on a central predisposition counterpart, leading to the activation of the trigeminovascular system and pain generation.
related content
- “International Headache Society headache diagnostic patterns in pain facility patients,” Fishbain et al, The Clinical Journal of Pain, 2001.
- “Prevalence of cervicogenic headache: Vågå study of headache epidemiology,” Sjaastad et al, Acta Neurol Scand, 2008.
- “Cervicogenic headache: an assessment of the evidence on clinical diagnosis, invasive tests, and treatment,” Bogduk et al, Lancet Neurol, 2009.
- “The neck and headaches,” Bogduk, Neurol Clin, 2014.
Vincent 2010 is about:
- “Cervicogenic headache: evidence that the neck is a pain generator,” Becker, Headache, 2010.
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