Headaches and Migraines

About 16% of the world’s population suffer through headaches and migraines on any given day, and half of all people experience headaches at some point. If you’re struggling with painful and disruptive headaches and/or migraines, board-certified and fellowship-trained OmniSpine Pain Management physician Andrew Morchower, MD, MPH, can help. Dr. Morchower offers interventional pain management, like occipital nerve blocks, to provide headache relief without narcotics (opioid drugs). Because it’s a small patient-focused practice, you get cell phone access to your doctor whenever you need it. Call the Frisco or Mesquite, Texas, office today or book your appointment online.

When are headaches and migraines a chronic condition?

Chronic headaches are recurrent headaches. Most people with chronic headaches experience debilitating pain on a regular basis.

You’ll receive a diagnosis of chronic daily headaches if you experience headaches 15 or more days each month for three months or longer. Many types of headaches fit into the chronic daily headache classification, including those of short duration (less than four hours) and long duration (longer than four hours).

How are headaches and migraines different?

Migraines are a specific type of long-duration chronic daily headache. They often cause severe pain on one side of your head along with nausea, light sensitivity, and sound sensitivity. Migraines are among the most severe and debilitating headaches.

Other long-duration chronic daily headaches include:

• Tension headaches: headache that feels like a squeezing around the head
• New daily persistent headaches: headache that never goes away
• Medication-overuse headaches: headaches triggered by use of headache medication
• Hemicrania continua: pain that’s always on one side of the head

Short-duration chronic daily headaches include:

• Chronic cluster headache: chronic headaches with intermittent remission periods
• Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania: throbbing or drilling pain behind one eye
• Hypnic headaches: nighttime headaches that wake you up
• Idiopathic stabbing headaches: severe jabbing head pain

There are at least 150 types of headaches, and your headache will likely fit into a few categories.

How are headaches and migraines treated?

Many headaches are associated with the occipital nerve that travels through your scalp. Injury or inflammation can lead to severe headaches that start at the back of your head and radiate to one or both sides.

Omni Spine Pain Management offers occipital nerve blocks, injections that deliver a local anesthetic and a steroid medication around the occipital nerve. Occipital nerve blocks reduce inflammation and stop pain signal transmission, relieving headache pain.

An occipital nerve block starts working in a few minutes up to a few days. The pain relief can last as long as several months.

Dr. Morchower can recommend other treatments, like chiropractic care, acupuncture, physical therapy, Toradol® injections, and other pain management treatments based on your unique needs. You’ll be given the doctor’s cell phone number so you can always reach out when you need help.

Book your appointment today by calling the OmniSpine Pain Management office nearest you or click on the online scheduler.