Many believe that to diagnose a Cervicogenic (originating from the neck) Headache, neck pain must be present. But, is a headache without neck pain really not related to the neck? Think about it this way: Just like some people have leg or arm pain due to their spine without actually feeling spinal pain, you can
Side-locked unilateral head pain is a key diagnostic criterion of Cervicogenic Headache (CGH). However, while this presentation characterises CGH, it is not confirmatory. There are medical conditions that manifest with unilateral side-locked headache. One of these conditions is Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) or Temporal Arteritis. For those who need to become more familiar with GCA…
Walking past Watson’s office, Watson’s colleague notices the door is open. “Do you have a moment, Watson?” “Yes, of course.” “I know we have discussed your views of unilateral head pain and its behavior, but a colleague of mine has a bilateral headache, which he believes is coming from his neck. However, his doctor has
Indeed, this is the elephant in the room! A key diagnostic criterion for CGH is side-locked unilateral head pain, i.e. head pain always occurs exclusively on the same side, never the other. This has been established by the medical model of headache, respectfully not fully au fait with musculoskeletal medicine. In my experience, whilst
It’s like the proverbial elephant in the room that no one is talking about. When diagnosing Cervicogenic Headache (CGH), the rulebook says pain must stick to one side – it is supposed to be always on the same side, never the other, a so-called ‘side-locked’ pain. But here is where things get puzzling. As a
Watson’s colleague was intrigued by their previous conversation. “You alluded to the crude, primitive techniques used to reproduce patients’ signature head pain.” The Frustration “Yes,” replies Watson, recognising that his colleague is in another searching mood, “essentially, the basis of my frustration is that a comprehensive diagnostic examination for CGH, a musculoskeletal condition, is being
