Migraines affect 39 million people in the United States, and more than one billion people worldwide. This debilitating neurological disease doesn’t care if you’re young or old, rich or poor. Fortunately, there are effective ways to ease the pain.
Pain management physicians Kevin Elaahi, MD and Benjamin Kim, MD and our expert team help you manage migraine pain and more at Interventional Pain Consultants in Parsippany, Montclair, and Landing, New Jersey.
Migraine phases generally occur in a distinct order:
Hours or even days before a migraine, you may experience a variety of symptoms from fatigue to light and sound sensitivity.
Approximately 20% of migraine sufferers experience an aura of flashing lights up to an hour before a migraine attack. This is sometimes preceded by blurry vision.
While the intensity varies from person to person, most migraines cause throbbing headaches on one or both sides of your head. Symptoms may also include:
Once the pain subsides, it takes time for your brain to return to normal. You may experience lingering fatigue and difficulty concentrating, which generally resolves in 24-48 hours.
Realizing a migraine is coming enables you to take certain steps to lessen the blow. We recommend:
Lie down in a dark room with your eyes closed to shorten the duration and pain of your migraine. Breathe slowly to relax, ease tension, and shift your mind away from the pain.
Apply a cold compress to your head and neck to help constrict the blood vessels and nerve signals inducing pain. Since overheating tends to worsen migraines, turn on your fan or air conditioner during an attack. Ice bands around your neck can help, as well.
Acupressure massage may help relieve your migraine pain. This means putting pressure on specific points of your face, neck, and ears. Pressure points on your ear include:
Massaging these, and other areas, such as your scalp or the spot between your eyebrows, may reduce migraine pain by promoting blood circulation.
Dream away your migraine. If you try to sleep as soon as you feel a migraine coming on, you might avoid its upcoming pain. Resting in a dark room may even stop a migraine in its tracks.
Our pain specialists offer various methods to reduce your migraines. These include:
We also prescribe various medications to help reduce migraine pain and episode frequency.
While treating migraines is clearly beneficial, warding them off in the first place is even better. Steps to lower your migraine episode risk include:
It’s also vital to avoid your personal dietary triggers. Keep a diary of foods eaten before your migraine. Common dietary triggers include:
On the other hand, ginger and/or a small amount of caffeine helps relieve migraine pain and nausea. We may also recommend certain supplements to reduce the number and severity of your migraines, including:
Stay hydrated to stave off migraines and sustain your overall health. Eat more foods that are high in magnesium (i.e., rice, chicken, beans, broccoli); it’s also helpful to eat foods containing anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids (i.e., salmon, walnuts).
When it comes to successful migraine management, knowledge is key. The sooner you recognize the signs of an upcoming attack, the quicker you can take steps to resolve it.
Our compassionate team provides migraine treatment to help keep your pain at bay. If you’re plagued with migraines, schedule a visit online or over the phone at your nearest Interventional Pain Consultants office in Parsippany, Montclair, or Landing, New Jersey, today.
