Migraine is a tough chronic pain condition for both patients and healthcare providers. Many people living with chronic migraines often get to the point were medication isn’t helping or the side effects from the medication becomes problematic—including addiction. I just ran across new research about a device that may help alleviate the need for medication management for migraines. I’m posting some of that information below. For more information please go to www.efluxmedia.com and search under migraine research.

Medtronic, the medical device maker, sponsored a study called the Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Migraine (ONSTIM), in which they collected data from 66 patients, who they followed for three months.  According to Dr. Joel R. Saper, M.D., founder and director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute, occipital nerve stimulation could prove to be the alternative therapy option for patients suffering from chronic migraine.

The study consisted of planting thin lead wires under the skin, near the occipital nerves, which were connected to a neurostimulator that delivered controlled electrical pulses to the occipital nerves.  Patients were randomly divided into three groups: one group received a neurostimulator, having the ability to control the level of stimulation, others were given a neurostimulator as part of a device control group, while the third group received standard medical treatment.

The occipital nerve stimulation therapy received a positive response, with a 50 percent reduction in the number of headache days a month, or a reduction in the pain intensity of three points on a 0-10 scale.  The effects of occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraine have not been fully studied yet, but according to Saper, the early experience in the study was enough to prove that some chronic migraine patients who have ran out of treatment options might benefit from it.

Approximately 28 million Americans suffer from migraines, and 70 of them are women. The treatments available to date work in most cases, however, 3 to 14 percent of people suffering from migraines become intractable to medical therapies. According to Medtronic, these people could be perfect candidates for the occipital nerve stimulation treatment.

To learn more about chronic pain management please check out our website at www.addiction-free.com and go to our Publications page and check out my book Managing Pain and Coexisting Disorders: Using the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. You can also check out our Research page to review additional information about Migraine Management.