Comprehensive headache treatment in Atlanta
Headache and migraine relief built on trigger identification, infusion therapies, and lifestyle coaching to reduce attack frequency and intensity.
When headaches control your schedule, dictate your plans, and steal your days, it's time for specialized care. Chronic migraines and headaches aren't just 'bad headaches'—they're neurological conditions that require expert diagnosis and treatment. At Legacy Brain and Spine, our certified headache specialists go beyond basic pain relievers. We offer comprehensive treatment including preventive medications, Botox therapy, nerve blocks, and innovative interventional procedures. Our goal isn't just to manage your pain—it's to give you your life back, one pain-free day at a time.
Available at these Locations
This treatment is available at all of our convenient locations:
Overview
Chronic headaches and migraines can significantly impact quality of life. Our certified headache specialists provide comprehensive evaluation and innovative treatment approaches including medication management, Botox injections, and interventional procedures.
Expert care for headaches
Certified headache specialists offering innovative treatment for chronic migraines and headaches. Our comprehensive approach includes Botox therapy, interventional procedures, and personalized medication management for lasting relief.
Common Symptoms
Headache patterns tell us volumes about what's causing your pain. Migraine-specific features like throbbing, one-sided pain, nausea, and light sensitivity distinguish them from tension or cluster headaches. Keeping a headache diary noting frequency, triggers, and symptoms helps our specialists develop targeted treatment plans. If headaches are affecting your work, relationships, or quality of life more than a few days per month, specialized care can make transformative differences.
Recurring headache patterns
Predictable headache cycles occurring weekly, monthly, or triggered by specific factors like stress, hormones, or foods. These repetitive patterns distinguish chronic headache disorders from isolated headaches, significantly impacting work, relationships, and quality of life.
Throbbing or pulsating pain
Intense, rhythmic pounding sensation typically on one side of the head that beats with your pulse. This vascular-type pain characterizes migraines and can be so severe that even normal activities like walking or climbing stairs worsen it unbearably.
Sensitivity to light and sound
Normal lighting feels blindingly bright and ordinary sounds become painfully loud, forcing you to retreat to dark, quiet rooms. This photophobia and phonophobia are hallmark migraine features that can persist throughout the entire headache episode.
Nausea or vomiting
Stomach upset ranges from mild queasiness to severe vomiting that can lead to dehydration. This gastrointestinal component often prevents taking oral medications, sometimes requiring alternative delivery methods for effective treatment.
Visual disturbances (aura)
Temporary visual phenomena like flashing lights, zigzag lines, or blind spots that precede or accompany migraines. These neurological symptoms typically last 20-60 minutes and can include sensory changes like tingling or language difficulties.
Neck pain and stiffness
Tight, painful neck muscles that can trigger headaches or result from them, creating a vicious cycle. This cervical component is present in many chronic headache types and may indicate cervicogenic headaches originating from neck structures.
Common Causes
Chronic headaches have multiple potential causes, and many patients have overlapping headache types. Migraine, tension-type, cluster, and cervicogenic headaches each require different treatment approaches. Identifying your primary headache type, triggers, and contributing factors allows us to create comprehensive treatment plans that prevent attacks rather than just treating them after they start.
Migraine (genetic component)
Migraines are inherited neurological disorders involving abnormal brain activity and blood vessel changes. Strong genetic factors mean those with family history have 50-60% higher risk of developing migraines, with specific genes influencing pain processing and vascular responses.
Tension-type headaches
The most common headache type results from muscle tension and stress in the neck, scalp, and jaw. Chronic muscle contraction triggers pain pathways, creating a dull, band-like pressure sensation that can become chronic without proper treatment.
Cluster headaches
These excruciating headaches occur in cyclical patterns or clusters, with hypothalamus dysfunction playing a key role. The pain is severe and one-sided, often described as the worst pain humans can experience, affecting more men than women.
Cervicogenic (neck-related)
Headaches originating from cervical spine problems, including arthritis, disc issues, or muscle dysfunction. Pain from neck structures refers to the head through shared nerve pathways, creating headaches that many don't realize stem from their neck.
Medication overuse
Frequent use of pain relievers paradoxically causes rebound headaches as medications wear off. This vicious cycle creates daily headaches that only respond temporarily to medication, requiring careful withdrawal and preventive treatment to break.
Secondary to other conditions
Headaches can signal underlying issues like high blood pressure, brain tumors, infections, or vascular abnormalities. These secondary headaches often have distinctive features requiring thorough evaluation to identify and treat the root cause.
Treatment Options
Preventive medications - Daily medications including beta-blockers, antidepressants, or anti-seizure drugs to reduce headache frequency and severity
Acute treatment medications - Fast-acting triptans, NSAIDs, or other medications taken at onset to stop migraine attacks before they worsen
Botox injections for chronic migraine - FDA-approved treatment using 31 precise injections around head and neck every 12 weeks to prevent migraines before they start
Nerve blocks and trigger point injections - Targeted injections of anesthetic and steroid into specific nerves or muscles to break pain cycles
Lifestyle and trigger management - Comprehensive approach identifying and avoiding personal triggers like foods, stress, or sleep patterns that provoke headaches
Interventional procedures - Advanced treatments including occipital nerve stimulation or sphenopalatine ganglion blocks for refractory cases
State of the art facilities
Joint Commission Gold Seal certified surgery centers equipped with the latest neurosurgical technology. Our Atlanta and Riverdale facilities offer minimally invasive procedures with concierge recovery suites for optimal patient comfort.
Recovery & Outlook
Many patients see significant improvement with comprehensive headache management. Treatment plans are individualized and may require adjustment over time to achieve optimal control.
Ready to Start Your Treatment Journey?
Our board-certified neurosurgeons are here to provide expert evaluation and personalized treatment plans. Schedule a consultation today to discuss your options.
Schedule ConsultationAccepted by most major insurance carriers and plans.
Many of our physicians are in-network with major insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, and more. Coverage can vary, so feel free to call us—we're happy to check your plan for you.
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