Cervicogenic Headache

Abstract Cervicogenic headache is among the best understood of the headaches in terms of its anatomy and physiology. Essentially it is pain referred to the head from the upper cervical spine. For this reason, it has been recognized more widely by pain specialists and manual therapists, accustomed to treating spinal pain, than by mainstream headache specialists. Amongst headache specialists, the entity has been disputed, largely because of controversies concerning the validity of its diagnosis. Unlike other headaches, cervicogenic headache defies diagnosis by clinical features and conventional imaging. Therefore, headache specialists have lacked means of making the diagnosis. However, the diagnosis can be made using fluoroscopically guided diagnostic blocks.