Cervicogenic headaches are a type of headache that originates from the neck. Columbia VA hosted a conference on cervicogenic headaches in May attended by more than 40 health care professionals from around the country.
Dr. Christa Smith, physical therapist at Quillen VA, gave a presentation regarding updates on cervicogenic headaches and on their diagnosis and treatment. She emphasized the importance of a thorough evaluation of the neck and upper back in patients with headache.
“It’s important for us to stay on top of the available evidence because it’s constantly evolving along with our profession. Conferences like this bring together clinicians who are like-minded and want to continue to help with the betterment of their patients and help us to all grow together, as well as provide the opportunity to help our patients more.”
The conference also featured a lab demonstration (photo above) on dry needling, a technique used to treat musculoskeletal pain. The workshop was led by Dr. Benjamin Thomas, physical therapist and orthopedic specialist at Charlie Norwood VA and expert in dry needling. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the technique and practice it on each other.
“Coming together for the hands-on clinical skills is vital.”
Columbia VA Chief of Physical Therapy Dr. Meredith Hall spoke about the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in the management of cervicogenic headaches. She highlighted the role of physical therapy in the treatment of this condition and the importance of working with other health care professionals to provide comprehensive care.
“It is important to bring together practitioners from multiple areas for networking and to raise awareness of research that is available for evidence-based practice. Coming together for the hands-on clinical skills is vital to putting the newly acquired skills into day-to-day practice.”
Daniel Muluneh, physical therapist at Richmond VA, shared his experience at the conference. “The ability to network provided by conferences like these is important and being able to do so at a VA-hosted conference is directly applicable to me as opposed to a private sector conference.
“Working in a traumatic brain injury clinic, I deal with a lot of patients with head and neck pain, so this is perfect. I learned so much about cervicogenic headache. The workshop on dry needling and manual manipulation techniques is directly applicable and something I plan to take with me back to Richmond.”
About Columbia VA
Columbia VA comprises the Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center and seven community-based outpatient clinics located throughout South Carolina in Anderson, Florence, Greenville, Orangeburg, Rock Hill, Spartanburg and Sumter. We serve more than 90,000 Veterans annually in 36 of 46 counties in South Carolina.
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I have complained about my neck for years. I was told I had whip lash and put me in a soft collar. It did nothing to help. I am now 69 years old. My neck still hurts. After my first complaint I started getting bad headaches. So, is this a new thing?