Abstract: Objective To investigate the efficacy of sling-exercise therapy on cervicogenic headache. Methods 60 patients with cervicogenic headache were divided into 2 groups with 30 patients each. Group I received paravertebral block of C2 once a week for 4 weeks, and Group II received sling-exercise therapy 3 times a week in addition. The Visual Analogue Score (VAS), frequency of pain (per month) before and 1, 3, 6 months after treatment were recorded, and the incidence of improvement was observed. Results In group I, VAS significantly improved 1 and 3 months after treatment (P<0.001), while it lasted 6 months in group II (P<0.001). The VAS improved more in group II 3, 6 months after treatment (P<0.001). It was similar in pain frequency. The incidence of improvement was 33.3% (10/30) and 73.3% (22/30) in group I and group II, respectively (P<0.01). Conclusion Sling-exercise therapy may improve the efficacy of paravertebral block on
cervicogenic headache, especially for the long-term.

Key words: cervicogenic headache, paravertebral block, sling-exercise therapy