Nerve stimulation can ease severe headache
November 9th, 2007 | by admin |May 08 - A minimally invasive procedure that implants electrodes below the skin often reduces severe migraines and other types of head pain, according to a new study.
Migraines are a debilitating form of headache that usually recur throughout a person’s life. They are more painful than most other types of headaches and are often accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light.
Dr. Richard L. Weiner of the University of Texas reports success over the past 12 years with an electrical technique called occipital neurostimulation . Electrodes are placed below the skin near the first cervical vertebra, where the spine connects with the base of the skull . The electrodes emit signals that interfere with pain messages in the nerves.
ONS can ease pain from conditions such as chronic daily transformed migraines , cervicogenic headaches , occipital neuralgia and deafferentation neuropathic pain , according to Weiner. He reports that long-term investigation shows success in 70 to 75 percent of patients, including a decline in pain of more than 50 percent and a decrease in use of opioids and other medications.
The study was published this month in the journal Pain Medicine.
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