Treatment for Migraine Headaches in Northern New Jersey

For patients who suffer from migraines, the pain can be debilitating. The pain management doctors at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics can help patients understand potential migraine headache triggers and treatment options available. Serving patients across northern New Jersey, CNSO’s award-winning team of, pain management experts, and nursing staff work together to provide comprehensive and individualized care.

Types of Headaches

There are different types of headaches, as well as different causes. Headaches can be triggered by something as simple as dehydration, to a more serious cause such as a brain tumor. Brain tumors are treated by CNSO neurosurgeons, but headaches not caused by a structural abnormality in the brain are treated by pain management or neurologists.  Headaches caused by muscle spasms, nerve pain, or blood vessels are generally categorized into three groups:

• Tension headaches: These are the most common type of headaches. When a person has a tension headache, they typically feel mild to moderate dull pain in the head, neck, or both.
• Cluster headaches: These are less common and usually show up as intense pain on one side of the head or behind one eye. They may be accompanied by congestion, runny nose, or swelling of the eyelid or forehead. As the name suggests, cluster headaches generally occur in a series over a period of days or weeks.
• Migraine headaches: These long-lasting headaches are often characterized by sensitivity to light, nausea, fatigue, and throbbing pain.

Headaches can show up on their own, or in conjunction with other conditions. For example, a headache may be a side effect of a sinus infection. A medical professional can help patients explore specific causes for persistent or debilitating pain.

Causes and Symptoms of Migraines

Many patients who suffer from these types of headaches can tell when a migraine is about to occur. They may experience an “aura,” such as seeing a flashing light, which precedes the onset of a migraine. Each person experiences migraine headaches differently, but some common symptoms include:

• Blurred vision
• Facial numbness
• Light and noise sensitivity
• Nausea
• Throbbing or pulsating pain
• Vomiting

There’s no single underlying cause of migraines, and it can be difficult for patients to pinpoint what’s causing this particular condition. There are many potential triggers, such as:

• Consuming alcohol
• Eating certain foods, like cheese, chocolate, and processed meats
• Lack of sleep
• Stress
• Weather changes

The pain management specialists and neurosurgeons at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics can help patients narrow down what’s causing their headaches. By conducting a comprehensive examination, listening closely to a patient’s medical history and symptoms, CNSO specialists will determine the cause of their headaches and treat migraines with the recommend treatment options.

Migraine Treatment Options

With many headaches, the best treatment is prevention. Avoiding triggers like alcohol or certain foods can significantly reduce migraines. Though the team at CNSO treats severe migraine headaches, there are many practices our medical staff can recommend to reduce the severity and frequency of most other types of headaches.  Such treatments and preventative measures would be:

• Acupuncture and acupressure
• Nutritional adjustments
• Physical therapy
• Prescription medications
• Trigger point injections
• If headaches persist, imaging may be recommended to determine if there is a structural abnormality of the patient’s spine or brain.

For migraines, however, there are medications a patient can take both to prevent as well as to decrease the duration of pain secondary to the migraine.  If a patient has chronic migraines and fails to improve with any of the medications and more conservative treatments, they may be indicated for an injection of BOTOX which is reserved to treat severe and persistent migraines. This injection must only be done by a CNSO pain management doctor or neurologist trained in migraine injections.

Schedule a Consultation with our Pain Specialists

The caring and compassionate team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine & Orthopedics treats each patient as an individual. The pain management doctor  works with each patient to determine if their migraine headaches are severe enough to be treated at  our centers in Northern New Jersey located in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Morris, and Hudson counties. To learn more about CNSO’s expertise and treatment options, schedule an appointment today.