Migraine Surgery Specialist

What is a migraine?

Migraine is the term used to describe a collection of neurological symptoms, primarily severe head pain. People who experience migraines are often unable to complete normal daily routines during an attack. 

Severe, throbbing head pain on one or both sides of the head is the most common migraine symptom. Additional symptoms include:

• Sensitivity to light, sound, or touch
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Pins and needles sensations in arms or legs
• Visual phenomena, or seeing bright spots or flashes of light
• Difficulty speaking
• Confusion or elation

Some of these symptoms occur before head pain develops, while others happen at the same time as head pain. Everyone has unique migraine experiences, and your symptoms can change from one attack to the next. 

What happens during migraine surgery?

Treating migraines can be challenging. Many people suffer for years without finding lasting relief. Migraine surgery is an option that seeks to reduce the severity of migraines by altering certain nerve tissues in your face and head. 

Trigger points are areas of muscle tissue that have become overly sensitive and constricted. These areas can cause or contribute to migraine pain by pinching or constricting your nerves. Migraine surgery involves locating trigger points in your face or on your scalp to target the nerves and muscle fibers within the cluster of constricted tissue. 

Migraine surgery is done under general anesthesia, so you’ll rest comfortably from start to finish. Dr. Brooks uses plastic surgery techniques to decompress the nerves in targeted treatment areas. It takes around 45-60 minutes to treat each area, and multiple trigger points can be treated during the same procedure. 

A series of very small incisions are made to gain access to the underlying tissues. Every effort is made to conceal these incisions within your hairline or in areas where there are existing folds of skin. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis, so once you’ve come out from anesthesia and have spent some time being monitored, you’ll be able to go home to begin recovery. 

What is the recovery process like after migraine surgery?

It can take a couple of weeks to fully recover after migraine surgery. As your body adjusts, you may notice some of the following in or around the treated areas:

• Numbness
• Bruising
• Soreness
• Itching
• Swelling
• Tingling

None of these changes are permanent, and none are severe. It’s a good idea to give your body a chance to rest and recover, but you’ll be back to normal daily routines within a short period of time. 

Many people who go through migraine surgery report dramatic improvements in their experience of migraines. Between 80%-92% experience half or fewer migraines after their procedure. As many as 33% report a complete elimination of migraine pain after surgery. 

If you have additional questions or concerns about whether migraine surgery might be right for you, call or schedule a visit online.