Struggling with migraine headaches is a common problem for adults in the U.S., and people with migraines often try many different treatment options before finding one that works. Doctors typically start off treating headaches with medication, physical therapy, and other types of non-invasive methods. If these do not work and the headaches persist, doctors often begin looking into invasive procedures, and one of these is called neurostimulation.

What is neurostimulation?

Neurostimulation is a type of procedure used to relieve a lot of different types of pain people experience, including back and neck pain. Doctors are now beginning to use it to treat chronic migraine sufferers.

With this procedure, doctors use small electrodes to target nerves that cause migraines. The goal is to block these nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. The amount of pain a person feels and experiences is highly controlled by the person's nerves and brain. If you can block these nerves from sending pain signals, it can stop the pain involved with your headaches.

In most cases, these electrodes are placed on a person's occipital muscles, which are located on the back side of the head. There is a lot of nerve activity that takes place in this area, which is one of the reasons doctors target this area during the procedure.

Why doctors recommend it?

One reason doctors recommend it is it is minimally invasive. In other words, a doctor does not have to make any cuts or openings on your body. Doctors also recommend it because it tends to offer positive results for many people. In addition, there are very few risks and side effects of using neurostimulation. In addition, it is a procedure that doctors have been using for many years, so it is considered safer than other types of migraine surgery options.

Will it work?

There is no type of procedure that works 100% of the time for people. In many cases, people must try several different procedures before finding one that works for them. Neurostimulation does tend to have great results for most people, though, and it is worth giving it a try if you cannot find a method that helps you find relief from your chronic headaches.

If you have migraines and have tried everything possible to find relief, you might want to consider talking to a doctor about neurostimulation and other types of migraine surgery options. To learn more, contact a doctor, like one at Northeastern Migraine Surgery Center, that specializes in treating migraine headaches.