By Alexander Germanis
There is a reason why television crime shows like NCIS or Law & Order are so popular. The process of investigation and subsequent discovery in every show speak to the explorer in all of us. Many doctors are also extremely familiar with investigative work. Like their crime-fighting equivalents, physicians feel the thrill that comes from discovering and eliminating their “culprits”: their patients’ ailments.
One such culprit plaguing countless people is the headache. It is, unfortunately, a foe that can take many guises. While one of the most dreaded is the migraine, there are many other types of headaches that can be equally debilitating.
Fortunately, physicians like Dr. Ramsin Benyamin, founder of Millennium Pain Center in Bloomington, are investigating new ways to treat the myriad types of headaches that can make each day a prison for the sufferers.
As mentioned in the last part of this series, Botox is one of these newer methods used to combat migraines. A series of facial injections can nullify the onset of migraines for months at a time — relieving news for those who deal with them chronically.
There are ever newer, investigational methods currently being employed to fight not just migraines, but the plethora of headaches out there. Some methods are, as Dr. Benyamin explains, quite simple.
“There are some chiropractic maneuvers that help,” the doctor says. “There are some simple nerve blocks that can sometimes help an attack. Nerve blocks are sometimes done through the nose. It’s as simple as that. The problem is, although they can treat the attacks, it becomes difficult for them to have a longstanding effect.”
Such is the issue with some investigational methods; they cannot be seen as cures, but rather as management or maintenance tools. Nevertheless, for those who suffer from head pain on a regular basis, often just managing the pain can be relief enough.
However, other methods have shown promising results. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), Dr. Benyamin says, has had very good results with equally good evidence to support its continued use. RFA has been used for trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureux. This condition often reveals itself as an intense stabbing pain in the side of the face, specifically around the nose, cheek, or mouth.
In RFA, a high-frequency current is used to generate heat that ablates the problematic nerve cell cluster. In the case of trigeminal neuralgia, the trigeminal ganglion is ablated.
“Some people have shinopalatine neuralgia,” Dr. Benyamin adds. Such head pains originating from the shinopalatine ganglion can also show themselves with dental pain: aches in the teeth or gum tissue. “Doing nerve blocks and radiofrequency of the sphinopalatine ganglion is very useful,” the doctor continues. “Some of the migraines or atypical head and face pains respond to that.”
In fact, it has been suggested the sphinopalatine ganglion may be involved in the whole migraine generation cycle. “So, some people respond to interventions in the sphinopalatine ganglion,” the doctor says. “The way you access it directly has to be through a needle placed either under CAT-scan guidance or live x-ray, or you can access it indirectly through the nose with a long Q-tip. That sometimes can cure acute attacks.”
One more method — occipital nerve stimulators — can be used for occipital neuralgia: a recurring, jabbing, piercing chronic headache originating from the base of the skull. The pain can cause light sensitivity and radiating pain in the upper neck and behind the eyes and ears. Occipital nerve stimulators, Dr. Benyamin explains, have had very good results.
Unfortunately, because these methods are still in the investigatory stage, insurance coverage can often become a headache of its own. However, with time, continued use and improved results, dedicated physicians may soon be able to move these and other investigational methods into the category of tried and proven, bringing lasting relief to the millions who suffer from chronic headaches.
If you missed the previous articles on headaches, you may read them online at HealthyCellsBN.com, or call Cheryl at 309-664-2524.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Millennium Pain Center at 309-662-4321, www.millenniumpaincenter.com. The office is located at 1015 S. Mercer Ave. in Bloomington. The practice provides the most advanced and comprehensive pain management for a wide variety of conditions, including a new treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Drs. Benyamin and Vallejo have been selected among 70 of the Best Pain Physicians in America.