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Headache and Migraine Pain Relief Outpatient Services
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 Outpatient care begins with a thorough medical history. The history has a special section to identify the location, frequency, severity, duration and other characteristics of each type of headache experienced by the patient, as well as sleep patterns, family history and potential headache-provoking factors. The initial visit takes 3 to 4 hours.
A psychological intake assessment is used to screen for major psychological diseases and to evaluate the patient's life stresses. A nutritional assessment helps determine if eating behaviors contribute to the headache pattern.
Patient evaluation continues with a complete
physical, psychological and neurological examination. Diagnostic
testing already done by the referring physician is reviewed,
and tests are repeated or augmented only when appropriate.
The Clinic staff also reviews previous and present therapies.
The patient participates in the evaluation process by maintaining
a daily headache calendar. This is a record of headache severity,
the amount of and types of analgesics used, the degree of
relief obtained, and provocative factors such as diet and
menstruation
Based on the total evaluation, the Clinic
staff plans an individualized treatment regimen.
The medication component is a
program of specific therapeutic agents. Patient response is
closely monitored, to evaluate efficacy and minimize adverse
reactions.
A lifestyle modification component
involves education in the areas of diet, recreation, sleep
patterns and other habits linked to headaches.
Some patients will benefit from a biofeedback
training component, which enables the patient to be an
active participant in alleviating headache symptoms. Approximately
70 percent of all patients benefit from this training, which
augments other therapies. It is particularly useful for patients
in whom stress is a major contributing factor to headaches,
for those who cannot tolerate additional medication, and for
pregnant patients and others who wish to avoid medication.
Follow-up visits will be scheduled as
necessary.
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