What is interventional headache treatment and how does it work?

After a thorough examination and evaluation of your symptoms, medical history, investigative studies and prior care, an individualized treatment protocol is developed.

Interventional headache treatment starts with the injection of local anesthetic (Novocaine) into and around the nerves that provide sensation to the face (trigeminal) and/or the cervical spine (upper spinal nerves and branches). These so called “nerve blocks” are done to identify neural pathways that are triggering and causing the headaches.

In some instances, injection of the local anesthetic can be therapeutic. In other instances, the injection is done for diagnostic purposes. That is, to better understand which nerve pathways can be treated to alleviate the pain.