Clinical Aspects of Cervicogenic Headache

Cervicogenic headache (CEH) is a lateralized non-pulsative headache syndrome caused by cervical spine disorders. The headache is initiated in the neck, which subsequently spreads to the occipital, frontal, and orbital regions, and is accompanied by ipsilateral shoulder pain. The prevalence of CEH is considered to be 15-20% among cases of chronic headache. With regard to the mechanism of CEH, convergence of upper cervical nerves and trigeminocervical complex might play an important role. However, CEH in many patients has been reported to be associated with middle to lower cervical disorders, which cannot be explained by this theory. We therefore proposed the possibility that the condition reported here is another type of CEH. The treatment of CEH requires a multidisciplinary approach, because pharmacological treatment is often ineffective. (Received August 16 2019; Accepted November 25, 2019; Published March 1, 2020).