Pain Doctors regularly explain that: “migraine affects many aspects of a person’s life – their work, education, relationships & mental health” [1]. Did you know that: “people in the UK lose a total of 43 million days from their work & education each year because of migraine?” Moreover, research conducted by The Migraine Trust showed that: “60% of people with migraine feel it had significantly impacted on their relationship with their partner or spouse; & 71% of people with migraine feel it has significantly affected their mental health” [1]
In a Nutshell: What is Chronic Migraine?
This refers to individuals who experience severe and disabling symptoms for at least 15 days per month [2].
Getting it Sorted
“Migraine is the most common neurological condition in the developed world. The WHO ranks migraine as the second-highest cause of disability in the world, following lower back pain. Yet despite the acute harm migraine causes to the individual & to wider society, it remains misunderstood & often misdiagnosed, too often dismissed as just a bad headache” [2]
Migraine is classed as a genetic neurological brain disorder. Moreover, in addition feeling to pain, the sufferer may also experience vomiting, nausea, and oversensitivity to smell, movement, noise and light [2]. There is no doubt that migraine can have a devastating impact on sufferers. – And on too many occasions, people just tolerate it. In addition to this, sufferers may feel let down by their GPs who do not have specialist knowledge in the condition; have very little time for them; and cannot commit to regular follow-up sessions where their condition and effects of any medication they may have been prescribed, can be discussed in detail.
To that end, many individuals who have either started to have regular migraines, or have been suffering from chronic migraines for years; have been taking positive action by booking a consultation with a Pain Specialist. The latter is a general medical doctor who has received years of additional training and practical experience in specialising in various types of pain including different types of headaches and migraine. Their expertise incorporates pain research, pain medicine, and cutting-edge treatments and therapies.
Booking a Consultation With a Migraine Specialist
When you have your initial online or in-person consultation with a Pain Doctor: after they have reviewed your medical history, looked at any migraine or other medication that you are taking, or have previously taken (including whether the medication has been in tablet form, or via injections, inhalers or suppositories); they will ask you various pertinent questions including: when the migraines started, how often they occur, and the level of severity. The Pain Consultant will then decide whether or not you will need a physical examination. The latter could provide important markers that will help your Pain Doctor determine any factors which are contributing to your migraine. For example, if a patient presents with tenderness in their neck muscles; or if they display poor posture (which can frequently involve impinged nerves), then these aspects can serve as clues to a potential or contributing root cause.
What Sort of Treatment Will the Pain Doctor Offer
The intricate nature of migraine dictates the use of a spectrum of different treatments (including both conventional and state-of-the-art options). These will be different for each and every patient, depending on their individual condition. To that end, the Pain Specialist draws up a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan, that the patient can get started on right from the get-go. It is important that the patients keep a ‘Pain Diary’ that they can show to the Pain Doctor on follow-up appointments. This will be beneficial for both parties (the patient and the Pain Specialist), in that it will record any positive changes, and may show that one treatment is more beneficial than another.
References
[1]. Migraine Trust (2021). “Impact of Migraine.”
https://migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/impact-of-migraine/
[2]. National Migraine Centre (2024). “Impact of Migraine.”
https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk/understanding-migraine/impact-of-migraine/
