Columbia VA Health Care System Hosts Conference on Cervicogenic Headache
Columbia VA Health Care System (VAHCS) hosted a conference on cervicogenic headaches, a type of headache that originates from the neck, May 19, at the Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center (VAMC). The conference was attended by more than 40 healthcare professionals from around the country.
Dr. Christa Smith, a physical therapist at the James H. Quillen VAMC in Johnson City, Tennessee, gave a presentation regarding evident updates on cervicogenic headache, and on the diagnosis and treatment of cervicogenic headaches. 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,” said Dr. Smith. “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 on dry needling, a technique used to treat musculoskeletal pain. The workshop was led by Dr. Benjamin Thomas, a physical therapist and orthopedic specialist from the Charlie Norwood VAMC in Augusta, Georgia, and expert in dry needling. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the technique and practice it on each other.
Columbia VAHCS’s 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 healthcare 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,” said Dr. Hall. “Coming together for the hands-on clinical skills is vital to putting the newly acquired skills into day-to-day practice.”
Attendee Daniel Muluneh, a physical therapist at the Richmond VAMC, 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,” said Muluneh. “Working in a [traumatic brain injury] clinic, I deal with a lot of [patients with] head and neck pain, so this is perfect for what I am doing. I learned so much about cervicogenic headache. The workshop on dry needling and manual manipulation techniques is directly applicable to me, and something I plan to take with me back to Richmond."
For more information about what’s going on at the Veterans medical center, clinic locations and other services available to Veterans in and around Columbia, visit the website https://www.va.gov/columbia-south-carolina-health-care/ and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, keyword: VAColumbiaSC.