What is a migraine?

A migraine is a condition that results in an intense, debilitating headache that is different from a routine headache or tension headache.

Medical treatment for migraines?

There are many known treatment for different types of migraines. A patient is often been treated a by a team comprised of a primary care provider, a neurologist, a medical migraine specialist, a pain specialist, and a neurosurgeon.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of migraines may include: nausea, vomiting, difficulty speaking, numbness or tingling, and sensitivity to sound and light.

Migraines typically occur in generations of a family and can begin as early as childhood or may not begin until early adulthood. 

Sometimes a migraine may also be triggered by stress, sensory stimuli, changes in sleep patterns, weather changes, reactions to certain types of foods or additives in foods or a change in diet, too much physical exertion and reactions to different types of drinks including alcohol and coffee.

Also, migraines can occur from anatomic compression and trauma to head and neck region.

What is migraine surgery?

Migraines can be associated with compression and irritation of nerves and vessels in your head and neck region. The goal of migraine surgery is to reduce or sometimes eliminate migraine frequency, decrease amount of medications needed, even trips to urgent care and hospital, duration and severity of pain by releasing these compression points.

Not every migraine headache can be treated by surgery. Only a migraine surgical specialist can determine if surgery can help you.