While most people with headache and migraine use medications and lifestyle changes to help with their headaches, there is a small group of people with very specific headaches that may benefit from surgery.

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Surgery is generally considered to be an option for people who don’t improve with medications and have specific types of headaches. Some procedures have been studied more than others, and some procedures are still being studied to better understand their benefits. It is best to speak to your doctor about whether surgery might be beneficial for you.

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The most common type of surgery involves implantation of a device that stimulates a nerve in the head or face that is causing the headaches.

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1. Occipital nerve stimulation – people with occipital neuralgia (a painful disorder where the nerves on the back of the skull are irritated and cause pain that radiates to the forehead) may benefit from implanting stimulators around the nerve which can reduce or remove the painful signals coming from the nerve.
2. Vagus nerve stimulation – there is a nerve in the neck that can sometimes be stimulated for people with migraines and cluster headaches which don’t respond to medications.
3. Deep brain stimulation – this is a rare treatment for people with chronic refractory cluster headaches

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Less common surgeries involve taking pressure off a nerve in the head or face or other more invasive surgeries.

If you would like to speak with a board-certified neurologist about your treatment options, including the surgery, join Neura Heath today!

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