When to Consider Surgery for Your Migraines
Jul 01, 2023
There’s no quick answer for when you should consider surgery for migraines. However, medications, lifestyle modifications, and other first-line treatments don’t work well enough for some people. In these cases, surgery may be an option that can reduce the frequency and severity of the headaches.
Plastic surgeon Brian Blumenauer, MD, at Oceana Aesthetics in Stuart, Florida, offers premium surgical and nonsurgical aesthetic services. He also specializes in migraine surgery, which can provide long-term relief from debilitating headaches.
In this blog, Dr. Blumenauer explains what migraine surgery is and when you should consider it.
Migraine surgery is designed to reduce headache frequency, duration, and pain levels by releasing compression and irritation of sensory nerves around the head and neck.
These compression sites, also known as trigger points, can occur frontally, causing pain above the eyebrows into the forehead region or at the temple. Another common trigger point site is in the occipital region, which can lead to pain at the back of the head that may travel across your skull to your eyes.
Before recommending surgery, Dr. Blumenauer thoroughly evaluates the location and characteristics of your migraine pain and then develops a customized surgical approach to address one or more trigger points.
He discusses the procedure and expected outcome in detail before scheduling your surgery. Generally, however, most patients tolerate migraine surgery quite well. Also, the incisions are tiny and hidden along the hairline to prevent visible scarring.
Dr. Blumenauer recommends considering several questions before proceeding with migraine surgery, including:
Before considering surgery, exploring and exhausting conservative migraine treatments is crucial. This includes trying different oral medications for migraine relief, making lifestyle changes, and exploring therapies, such as Botox injections for migraine prevention.
If you’ve diligently tried various treatment options under the guidance of your health care provider without experiencing significant relief, it may be time to consider surgical intervention.
Surgery for migraines is typically reserved for individuals who suffer from frequent and severe attacks that significantly impact their daily functioning.
If you experience migraines more than 15 days per month, or if you’ve failed to respond to multiple preventive medications, surgery might be a viable option.
Assess how migraines affect your overall quality of life. If you find yourself missing work frequently, being unable to participate in activities you enjoy, or experiencing persistent pain and discomfort that interferes with your relationships and overall well-being, surgery may be worth considering.
For more information about migraine surgery and whether it’s right for you, call 772-324-9515 or book an appointment online with Oceana Aesthetics today.