Plagued by Migraines? Interventional Treatments That Go Beyond Medication

Minor headaches aren’t always a big deal, but the headaches that accompany chronic migraine can be debilitating and take over your life. Migraine headaches not only are extremely painful, they can also cause nausea and vomiting, sensory sensitivity, and neurological problems. 

Instead of treating migraines with medication, our pain management doctors and providers at Integrity Pain & Wellness in Scottsdale, Mesa, Glendale, and Prescott , Arizona, take a holistic, interventional approach to your healing. 

Here, we discuss the different noninvasive, nonaddictive interventional and supportive therapies that can help ease your migraines. 

Why treat migraines interventionally?

Most migraines have similar symptoms, but the causes can vary significantly in different people. Everything from underlying medical conditions to different lifestyle and environmental causes can be triggers.

In the long term, taking medication for migraines can be addictive and have unpleasant side effects. It also doesn’t treat the root cause of migraines, only the symptoms.

A customized treatment program that addresses your specific migraine triggers is the safest and most effective way to relieve migraine pain. Using pain medication can provide short-term migraine relief, but we can develop a plan that works for you.

Interventional and supportive migraine treatments

Alongside working with your medical team to treat any underlying medical conditions contributing to migraines, we offer several migraine treatment options. These treatments can include:

Nerve blocks

A nerve block is a local injection into the nerve pathways that shoot pain signals that trigger migraines. For days or weeks, a nerve block can stop these pain signals, offering relief and preventing migraines from occurring.

We can provide nerve blocks in any area causing migraines. Common sites include the temples, the base of the head, or above the eyebrows.

Neuromodulation

Neuromodulation therapy involves externally stimulating nerves by wearing an FDA-cleared device. You wear these devices once or twice a day in an area that we identified as causing your migraines.

By stimulating the nerves involved in triggering migraines, neuromodulation can stop pain signals from occurring. Regular use leads to long-lasting relief for many migraine sufferers.

Injection therapy

These therapies involve injecting medication to temporarily treat migraines. The most well-known injectable therapy for migraines is Botox®.

Inserted into facial, neck, and shoulder muscles, Botox freezes the muscles that cause migraines for up to six months and prevents them from making movements that cause migraines. Botox is an FDA-approved treatment for chronic migraines.

In addition to Botox, there are other injectables that can relieve trigger points and relax blood vessels. Some can even stop a migraine episode in its tracks.

Lifestyle changes

Some chronic migraine sufferers benefit from making lifestyle changes that provide relief. These can include:

• Learning relaxation techniques 
• Getting more and better quality sleep
• Getting regular exercise
• Eating on a schedule
• Staying hydrated

By keeping a diary, you can determine if there are certain foods, drinks, sensory input, or other environmental factors that trigger migraines. Reducing or eliminating triggers helps prevent migraines.

Acupuncture and acupressure

Acupuncture and acupressure are alternative therapies that involve inserting tiny needles into your body that release healing chemicals, and massaging trigger points that can cause migraines. Early, small research studies show these approaches have the potential to offer migraines sufferers relief.

Our team is committed to finding a long-term approach that safely and effectively treats your migraines. Contact us for a consultation and to begin treatment.