Migraine headaches are a debilitating neurological condition that can interfere with your work, family, and day-to-day responsibilities. Though the occasional migraine can keep you from your usual routine for a few days, chronic migraine can knock you down for weeks at a time.
At New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine, our team provides diagnosis and treatment of chronic migraine.
Our pain management specialist, Jose De La Torre, MD, offers therapies for existing head pain as well as solutions to prevent the frequency and intensity of chronic migraine.
A migraine is a neurological disorder that causes intense, throbbing head pain typically on one side of the head.
Migraine pain can also trigger other physical symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and visual disturbances. Some people may experience sensitivity to light, smells, and sounds.
Chronic migraine describes episodes of intense head pain that occur on 15 or more days of the month. A diagnosis of chronic migraine also requires that the headache pattern continues for at least three consecutive months.
Chronic migraine pain tends to develop gradually. If you experience the occasional migraine, you might notice that attacks become more frequent over time, a situation known as migraine progression.
Though the root cause of chronic migraine isn’t fully clear, there are known factors that can increase your risk for migraine progression, including:
Medication overuse is a common contributor to chronic migraine. If you take over-the-counter or prescription pain medications often, it can result in a medication overuse headache, which can ultimately exacerbate the migraine cycle.
Chronic migraine can be debilitating. If you’re experiencing frequent migraine headaches more than half the month, accompanied by other migraine symptoms, call us for a diagnostic evaluation at New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine.
An evaluation is also important if chronic migraine attacks interfere with your quality of life, such as:+
Dr. De La Torre discusses your options for pain treatment and preventive care based on the severity of your symptoms and frequency of migraine attacks.
Chronic migraine headaches are manageable with a custom treatment plan. Dr. De La Torre creates a comprehensive plan that includes lifestyle changes like:
You may also need to avoid certain foods that can contribute to migraine episodes. Among the known food triggers are artificial sweeteners, chocolate, aged cheeses, and processed meats.
We also offer Botox® therapy to reduce the frequency of chronic migraine. Botox is an injectable medication that temporarily prevents muscle contractions associated with migraine.
Treatment typically involves Botox injections every 12 weeks to manage chronic migraine. Many people experience fewer migraine episodes after two to three cycles of Botox treatment.
Contact our team at New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine to schedule a consultation for chronic migraine relief, or book your consultation online.
