Chronic Migraines in Manhattan, NY

Living with unpredictable and debilitating chronic migraine headaches can impact your personal and professional life. You never know when you may be plagued with a migraine that can derail your schedule, making it difficult to perform even simple daily tasks. While there is much we do not know about the sources of migraines and head pain, there are ways to manage episodes and the symptoms. Our team at Ospina Medical offers advanced treatment options for chronic migraine headaches at our clinic in Manhattan.

Migraines differ from the standard tension headache. While both can be painful, migraines are chronic in nature. Typically, patients with migraines will notice an increase in the frequency and intensity of episodes. While most tension headaches will subside in less than a few hours and respond to OTC pain relievers, migraines can last for several hours or even days with little to no relief with headache medication. The symptoms and pain of a migraine are also different from a tension headache.

Symptoms include:

• Pulsating or throbbing head pain
• Nausea
• Vision abnormalities – blurred or doubled images
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Speech alterations
• Tingling sensations

Migraine episodes can make it difficult to perform daily tasks and occur at any time. To control migraines, our team at Ospina Medical can create a personalized treatment plan, offering relief to our patients.

Do you suffer from headaches that are localized near the back of the head? Occipital neuralgia is a type of localized acute or chronic head pain that is caused by an irritation of the lesser and greater optical nerves. Relieving the source of pressure or irritation on the affected nerves can help minimize or control occipital neuralgia headaches. Our medical team at Ospina Medical in NYC offers innovative diagnosis and treatment options for patients with occipital neuralgia and other types of severe headache pain.

The lesser and greater occipital nerves run from the top of the spine and up the back of the sides of your head. When these nerves are impacted by pressure or irritation, they can cause a spreading pain from the neck up the back of the head. This specific head pain is occipital neuralgia, and it may not dissipate easily with OTC medication. To find relief, the source of nerve interference may need to be mitigated to stop headaches and pain.

Most adults experience tension headaches on occasion. Tension headaches are described as a tight band of pain across the front, sides or back of the head. The head pain is usually dull, with a continuous ache. Tension headaches are common and typically dissipate quickly, but in some patients, can become a chronic condition. Our interventional pain specialists at Ospina Medical in New York City offer innovative treatments for relieving tension headaches.

The cause of tension headaches is not known, but stress and muscle contractions are triggers for this type of head pain. It is estimated that 80% of adults experience tension headaches to some extent, usually occasionally. When episodes of head pain become more frequent, once a day or every few days over several months, this can be a sign of chronic tension headaches. While less severe than migraines, tension headaches can still detract from one’s quality of life and impact your ability to perform at an optimal level.

Migraines can be linked to various health conditions or injuries, or there may be no apparent cause. While there is not a cure, there are evolving options for treating these severe forms of headaches. Our recommendations will depend on the patient and their symptoms. Some treatment options we use include Botox® for chronic migraines and other nerve or neuromodulation treatments that can offer management of symptoms and frequency of episodes.

If you suffer from chronic migraine headaches and want to explore advanced treatment options, come visit us at Ospina Medical in NYC. We utilize cutting-edge treatments for migraines and other types of chronic pain.

The first step in creating a treatment plan for severe headaches is diagnosing the type and source. Occipital neuralgia has a unique pain pattern that can help our interventional pain physicians diagnose the source of pain and determine the best treatment option. The occipital nerves can be irritated by inflammation in the spine, neck or scalp. They may be pressured by trigger points or tension in muscles or tendons. To stop the nerve pain, the pressure or irritation must be managed. Treatments include steroid injections to relieve inflammation or trigger point injections to release tension, causing pressure on the occipital nerves. Nerve blocks and other treatments may be recommended, depending on the patient. Each patient may respond differently, which is why we personalize every treatment plan to address the specific issues of the patient. If you have throbbing or piercing pain localized in the back of your neck up through the head, you could be suffering from occipital neuralgia. Contact our team at Ospina Medical to schedule a consultation at our clinic in Midtown Manhattan.

At Ospina Medical, we personalize our approach to treating chronic pain. Our pain specialists customize every treatment plan to the patient based on their symptoms, lifestyle, medical history, and other factors. The type of treatment we may recommend for chronic or acute tension headaches may differ for each patient, but we prefer a conservative, non-invasive approach without using narcotics to control chronic pain. Treatments may include injection therapy and other options to mitigate pain and reduce tension headache episodes for our patients.

If you have experienced ongoing tension headaches and want to explore treatment options to give you relief, come see our team at Ospina Medical. Our physicians will actively listen to your concerns and work with you to find a treatment option to improve symptoms. Contact our clinic in Manhattan through our website or app, or call us directly to make an appointment.

How many people suffer from migraines?

According to the American Migraine Foundation, about 39 million Americans and 1 billion people worldwide experience migraines.

Headache or migraine — what is the difference?

A headache typically describes a generalized pain in the head that may be ranked from mild to severe and stem from a number of causes. A migraine is actually a clinically-diagnosed brain disease affecting the nervous system that includes a specific collection of symptoms (listed above) and is often debilitating for those experiencing them.

How does a migraine usually start and progress?

Migraines typically consist of four phases:

1. Prodrome - includes irritability, sensitivity to light or sound, fatigue, nausea, or sleep problems
2. Aura - visual symptoms including bright dots or speck, blind spots, sparks, or zig-zags in the vision
3. Headache - pain that can vary from throbbing, burning, or sharp, vomiting, sensitivity to any and all sensory input, neck stiffness, or pain
4. Postdrome - mental fog, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, depression, or muscle soreness

When are migraines considered chronic migraines?

When a person experiences 15 or more days with a headache in one month and at least eight of these include migraine symptoms, it can be classified as chronic migraines.