Peripheral Nerve Blocks and Trigger Point Injections – Research Needed
More research is needed to investigate peripheral nerve blocks and trigger point injections for headache treatment, say researchers in the USA.
Last month the journal Headache published a review of the research on nerve blocks and trigger point injections for various types of headache, including cluster headache and migraine.
The results were generally positive – there does seem to be value in these types of treatment.
That being said, this field of research is somewhat chaotic. There is little agreement on how to go about the treatments, and the research is actually very limited.
Seeing positive results so often, it’s time to do more extensive and serious research. This will continue to be an important field of study.
For example, this month researches in Milan, Italy published an evaluation of a treatment they’ve been using for the past five years – the sphenopalatine endoscopic ganglion block for cluster headache. The treatment involves an injection of anesthetics and corticosteroids.
Similar treatment for cluster headache has been used in other countries even longer. It’s a temporary relief, however it’s been a real help to many patients. The interesting thing is that it’s successful in chronic cluster patients who were not responding to drugs.
These types of techniques are valuable because they may provide an option for others who are not responding well to drugs, but are not wanting to jump to invasive surgical procedures.
But we need more research to evaluate how to best choose treatment for individual patients.
Kathy Smith Dixon
2 August 2010 @ 7:20 pm
I have suffered with migraines for 29 years. While visiting one of the Headace Clinics, I’ve been seen at, I believe I was given what you would refer to as ” trigger point injections.” Actually, I was given 28 injections in my head. It was terrible and I thought my skull was going to rip open. Is this a normal procedure? I was told that it would stop my migraines or they would continue in about two weeks. Much to my regret my migraines continued.
CARLA DESLONDE
22 June 2012 @ 2:20 pm
HI
I DONT THINK THATS NORMAL. IM STARTING MY TRIGGER POINT INJECTION NEXT WEEK, AND I ONLY GET 3 INJECTION 1X A WEEK FOR 3WKS
YOU SHOULD SEE MY DOCTOR
DR. KLEMONS HE IS IN SOUTH AMBOY NJ
PEOPLE COME FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES TO SEE HIM