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Cervicogenic Headache

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Handbook of Headache

Abstract

Cervicogenic headache is pain referred to the head from nociceptive structures in the cervical spine. The prevalence of cervicogenic headache varies from 0.7% to 13.8%. The pathophysiology of the headache involves convergence between cervical and trigeminal afferents in the trigeminocervical nucleus. Cervicogenic headache is, in principle, a unilateral headache without side shift but it may also be bilateral. The pain starts in the neck and spreads to the ipsilateral oculofrontotemporal area. A diffuse, ipsilateral neck, shoulder, or arm pain may occur. A reliable diagnosis of cervicogenic headache can be made based on the criteria of Sjaastad and coworkers. The use of diagnostic blocks to diagnose cervicogenic headache is essential. Treatment of cervicogenic headache depends on the established pain source and varies from manual therapy, simple local injections, radiofrequency treatment to more invasive neurosurgical procedures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, ICU and Pain Management, Catharina Ziekenhuis, P.O. Box 1350, 5602 ZA, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Hans A. van Suijlekom M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Headache Medicine Centre, Department of Neurology Policlinic of Monza, University Consortium for Adaptive Disorders and Head Pain (UCADH) and Headache Science Centre, Via Mondino 2, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Fabio Antonaci MDPhD

Authors
  1. Hans A. van Suijlekom M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Fabio Antonaci MDPhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hans A. van Suijlekom M.D., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical and Molecular Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Martelletti

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Timothy J. Steiner

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Timothy J. Steiner

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© 2011 Lifting The Burden

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van Suijlekom, H.A., Antonaci, F. (2011). Cervicogenic Headache. In: Martelletti, P., Steiner, T.J. (eds) Handbook of Headache. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1700-9_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-1700-9_37

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Milano

  • Print ISBN: 978-88-470-1699-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-88-470-1700-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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