For nearly thirty million Americans, a headache is not just a headache. Those who suffer from chronic migraines experience severe pain and many accompanying symptoms that are not present with the common headache. At The Pain Center of Arizona, the pain doctors are experienced in treating migraine pain and can offer their migraine patients a variety of treatments all intended to alleviate the pain of migraines and help get migraine sufferers back into life.

Most migraines cause pain on one side of the head, though some experience migraines that encompass both sides. Many migraine sufferers report that their migraine pain is often in the temples or behind an eye, and the pain is generally severe. While the severity and frequency of migraines varies from person to person, most who experience migraines will agree that migraines are terribly painful and can interfere with function and daily living. Migraines can last anywhere from hours to days, and may occur as often as weekly, or as sporadically as a few times a year.

What will generally determine that your headache is a migraine as opposed to a common headache is the severity of pain and the accompanying symptoms. The common headache is generally a mild pain compared to the pain of a migraine. Additionally, migraines will usually have other symptoms prior to or with the onset of the migraine. For those who experience an aura, this will usually occur prior to the onset of the migraine. Migraines vary between individuals, but may include visual disturbances (seeing flashes of light, seeing floating shapes in the field of vision, blind spots, tunnel vision), numbness or tingling in the face, tongue, and extremities, loss of mental focus, and loss of balance. Only one in five people who experience migraines will also experience an aura, those who do not will still experience the other migraine symptoms, but will not have any of the visual or motor disturbances.

Accompanying symptoms that are common to both migraines with aura and migraines without aura will occur during the onset of the migraine and can include sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

 If you suspect that you have migraines, you should schedule an appointment with a pain specialist at The Pain Center as soon as possible. If you are unsure whether you are experiencing migraines or a common headache, some of the criteria include head pain accompanied by: an aura, nausea, vomiting, numbness or tingling. If your headache is localized in the temples or behind the eye and is located on one side of the head, this is also determining criteria. Additionally, if you are suffering from headaches frequently, or they are disrupting your daily life, these are inclusion criteria for determining that your headaches are in fact migraines. Once it has been determined that you suffer from migraines, the pain experts at The Pain Center of Arizona will be able to develop an individualized treatment plan to help get you back to highest level of functioning possible.

If you suffer from chronic pain due to any condition or injury, find hope at The Pain Center of Arizona! Our dedicated team of board certified pain management physicians will work with you to treat your pain, increase your functionality and quality of life, and get you back into life! We have locations across Arizona, including Phoenix, Anthem, Surprise, Mesa, Gilbert, Deer Valley, Paradise Valley and the Biltmore area. We take multiple insurance plans; click here to see if we take yours! To make an appointment and take the first step toward getting back into life, call us today at 1-888-PAINCENTER. We hope to see you soon!

The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.

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