Headache Clinic
Painful, chronic, or recurrent headaches can be disabling and affect your child in many ways — from their academic and athletic performance to their social and family life. We are happy to offer appointments focusing on headache management.
Your child’s evaluation will include a headache and medical history, as well as a neurological exam. Your provider will then work with you and your child to develop an individualized headache plan or if necessary, additional testing and specialist referrals will be made.
Treatment Options for Chronic Headaches
Behavioral therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), provide additional support to help decrease disability and improve functionality in the child with headaches. Children who suffer from depression or anxiety may be referred to our Behavioral Health Services or other local psychologists and/or psychiatrists.
Children with frequent headaches may be prescribed daily headache medications to decrease the severity and frequency of their headaches. Episodic medications are also recommended to treat headaches when they happen, to relieve pain and other symptoms related to a headache.
Vitamins and supplements may play a role in reducing the severity and frequency of headaches and may be discussed at your office visit.
If needed, we can help create a Migraine Action Plan to ensure that your child receives prompt treatment at school at the earliest signs of a migraine. The plan helps office staff and school nurses determine quickly if your child needs prescribed medicine, so a headache doesn’t progress and cause your child unnecessary pain or significant missed class time.
Botulinum Toxin A (Botox) treatments may be recommended for children age 12 and older who have chronic migraine headaches that have not responded to other treatments. Although the reasons why Botox works are not well understood, there is strong evidence that it can effectively reduce the number and severity of migraine headaches.
