Migraine Surgery
Migraine Relief
Migraine is the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world.1 Nearly 45 million Americans suffer from migraines—the debilitating headaches lasting for hours or even days and are oftentimes accompanied by nausea and sensory changes. Women suffer from migraine three times as often as men and more than 90% of sufferers are unable to work or function normally during their migraine. In fact, most sufferers experience attacks once or twice a month, and those with chronic migraine experience at least 15 migraine days per month.2
Due to the intense nature of these events, migraine sufferers have a compromised quality of life. The doctors at New York Plastic Surgical Group, a Division of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group are expertly trained in migraine surgery and have been successful in permanently relieving migraine symptoms with innovative and safe techniques. These techniques release pathological constrictions around the nerves that trigger painful migraine headaches. In some cases, patients may experience a near-immediate relief of symptoms following surgery.
Gain Confidence Against Chronic Migraines
New York Plastic Surgical Group surgeons are expertly trained in migraine surgery and have been successful in permanently relieving migraine symptoms with innovative, safe surgical techniques. To learn more and request a consultation, please fill out a migraine questionnaire via the link below.
Our Approach to Surgical Migraine Treatment
Our innovative surgical techniques release the compression points along the affected nerve(s) that trigger headaches and patients may experience near-immediate relief of symptoms following surgery.3 We perform migraine surgery as an outpatient procedure so patients can return home after the procedure.
*modelMigraine Surgery Procedures
Migraine surgical solutions vary from patient to patient depending on the location of the offending nerves, however, patients can expect a one to two-hour procedure per trigger site. The most common areas correlated with headaches and migraines triggered by nerves are the forehead, temples, the back of the head, and the nose (deviated septum).4
Depending on where your migraines are coming from, nerves will either be decompressed or removed. In the case of a deviated septum, septoplasty (straightening of the septum in the nose) is performed along with the removal of the turbinates in the nose. Although uncommon, some complications may include discomfort, mild bruising, swelling, temporary hollowing of the temple, numbness, infection, bleeding, shift in brow appearance & movement, localized hair loss at the incision site, and dryness and a whistling sound from the nose (septoplasty & turbinectomy). There is no guarantee that surgical treatment will be 100% effective. Migraines may continue after surgery, but a majority of properly-selected patients have a significant improvement.
Candidates For Migraine & Headache Surgery
If you would like to be considered for migraine or headache surgery at New York Plastic Surgical Group, you will need to be evaluated by a neurologist for migraine surgery. If you do not have a neurologist, we are happy to refer you to some in the area. Additionally, candidates for migraine surgery must report limited or no improvement from other medical treatments.
FAQs About Migraine Surgery
Is migraine surgery covered by insurance?
Migraine surgery may be covered by insurance. Our team of experts will help you through the insurance process.
Can I have migraine surgery before trying other migraine treatments?
One of the best predictors of successful surgery is the efficacy of injectable treatments. Because of this, New York Plastic Surgical Group surgeons will consider surgical treatment for migraine patients who respond well to injectable treatments. Injectable treatments are used to temporarily ‘freeze’ the muscles with migraine-causing nerve constriction helping to identify trigger sites. If trigger sites are successfully pinpointed, a patient may move forward with surgery to permanently release the compression of those muscles to provide long-term relief symptoms.
What are the risks and side effects of migraine surgery?
Although uncommon, some complications may include discomfort, mild bruising, and swelling. There can be a temporary hollowing of the temple, numbness in the forehead and scalp as well as infection and bleeding. There may be a shift in brow appearance and movement and localized hair loss in the temporal areas. With septoplasty and turbinectomy, nasal dryness and a nasal whistling sound can occur after surgery. Lastly, migraines may continue as there is no guarantee that surgical treatment will be 100% effective.
Schedule Your Consultation For Migraine Surgery In NYC or Long Island, New York
To learn more about migraine surgery with our leading migraine surgery specialists, please contact us to schedule a consultation.
1 The Journal of Headache and Pain. Headache disorders are third cause of disability worldwide. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480232/. Accessed January 17, 2022.
2 Current Pain and Headache Reports. Defining the Differences Between Episodic Migraine and Chronic Migraine. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3258393/. Accessed January 17, 2022.
3 ASPS. Migraine Surgery. Available: https://www.plasticsurgery.org/reconstructive-procedures/migraine-surgery. Accessed January 17, 2022.
4 The Journal of Headache and Pain. Myofascial trigger points in migraine and tension-type headache. Available: https://thejournalofheadacheandpain.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10194-018-0913-8. Accessed January 17, 2022.
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