Quick Relief For Migraines, Trigger Point Pain, and Sciatica.
At The Migraine & Spine Clinic of Valdosta, we recognize that when a severe headache or excruciating pain strikes, every minute counts. That’s why we’ve designed our Urgent Care Treatment options to address your pressing need for rapid relief.
We’re dedicated to providing the latest urgent care treatments that alleviate active headaches, migraines, and neck and back pain issues. With our minimally invasive procedures, our goal is to get you back to your daily routine within minutes, minimizing the disruption caused by debilitating pain.
Explore our Urgent Care Treatment options below that are, designed to provide prompt, effective relief when you need it most.
Migraine Urgent Care Treatments
Migraines are common and can bring about significant debilitation. These attacks encompass more than just head pain, often manifesting with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, heightened sensitivity to light, sound, touch, and odors, food cravings, fatigue, visual disturbances, and a multitude of other distressing symptoms.
Nerve blocks are a specialized and highly effective treatment approach aimed at providing relief to individuals suffering from chronic, debilitating headaches. These procedures involve the precise injection of anesthetic or anti-inflammatory medications into specific nerve clusters or pathways associated with migraine pain. By interrupting the transmission of pain signals, nerve blocks can significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks. This treatment is especially valuable for patients who have not responded well to traditional migraine treatments or who wish to reduce their reliance on medications. Nerve blocks offer a non-invasive, low-risk option to regain control over one’s life and enjoy a brighter, pain-free future.
What Should I Expect?
During a migraine nerve block procedure, you’ll be seated on an exam table. The injection itself only takes a minute or two. Once the procedure is complete, you will rest in our comfortable recliner for eight to ten minutes. Then, we will reassess the migraine pain intensity.
Most patients can drive themselves home and return to normal activity almost immediately. However, we advise patients to take it easy for several hours after a nerve block procedure.
Pain relief does vary from person to person; it may be nearly instantaneous for one individual but take a day or more for another, and relief can last anywhere from days to several months.
Migraines extend far beyond the realm of a severe headache, often unleashing a cascade of debilitating secondary symptoms, including nausea. Traditionally, emergency rooms have employed a remedy known as the “Migraine Cocktail” to address these multi-faceted challenges. At The Migraine & Spine Clinic of Valdosta, our approach combines the effectiveness of the “Migraine Cocktail” with the precision of nerve blocks to provide patients with a comprehensive solution for aborting active severe migraines while alleviating their secondary symptoms.
Our modified “Migraine Cocktail” is administered via intramuscular injection, typically in the hip region, and has the following components:
- Toradol: An anti-inflammatory medication from the NSAID family, closely related to ibuprofen.
- Phenergan: An anti-nausea medication.
- Zofran: An alternative anti-nausea medication, often preferred over Phenergan.
- Benadryl: An antihistamine addressing the role of histamine in the inflammatory process.
These medications are non-narcotic but may induce drowsiness.
The SphenoCath is a medical device used to administer medication to the Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG). This device is designed to provide a targeted and minimally invasive approach to treating conditions such as migraines and cluster headaches. It allows for the delivery of medication to the SPG, which is a cluster of nerve cells associated with headache pain, by accessing the nasal passages. The SphenoCath procedure is often used to provide quick relief for headache sufferers and can be performed without sedation.
What Should I Expect?
On the day of the procedure, you will be capable of traveling to our office and driving home afterward, as no sedative medications are required. Before the procedure, your blood pressure, heart rate, and possibly cheek temperature may be assessed. To enhance your comfort when placing the catheter, we may numb your nose by using inhaled or topical numbing medication.
You will be positioned on your back with your head slightly extended. A catheter device will be gently inserted into one nostril and advanced as the numbing medication is administered. The catheter will then be removed. This process will be repeated in the other nostril, taking 10-20 seconds to complete. After the procedure, you may be asked to lie down for around 15 minutes, with periodic blood pressure checks.
Throughout the procedure, you may experience mild pressure, a sensation similar to needing to sneeze, or brief, mild discomfort. You might also encounter a momentary, quick burning sensation. Tear production and a brief change in temperature may occur.
While some individuals may immediately experience a reduction in head and/or facial pain, it’s essential to note that results can vary, taking anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours to fully manifest.
Treatment for Neck, Upper Back, and Shoulder Pain
Pain in the neck, upper back, and shoulders can manifest in many ways, often originating from inflammation within nerves and muscle groups. This inflammation can result in more than just pain; it frequently leads to stiffness and a restricted range of motion (ROM) in these areas.
If you’re grappling with the discomfort of tight muscles, spasms, and localized points of pain, the Trigger Point Injection procedure might be the ideal solution. This procedure is designed to address specific points of distress through the administration of a combination of nerve-blocking agents, such as lidocaine, and anti-inflammatory medications. Common areas for trigger point pain include the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
What Should I Expect?
For the procedure, you will be comfortably seated, and the Trigger Point procedure itself is a brief and efficient process, typically taking no more than a minute. A combination of a nerve-blocking agent and an anti-inflammatory agent is carefully administered to the areas of discomfort. Following the injection, you’ll rest in our recliner for approximately 10 minutes, after which we will assess the treated areas to determine any improvements.
It’s important to note that the duration and extent of pain relief can vary from person to person. Some conditions may necessitate multiple injections spaced several weeks apart to achieve optimal relief.
One of the quickest and most effective ways to treat radiating neck and shoulder pain is through nerve blocks. Nerve blocks are simply injections of a nerve-blocking agent (i.e., lidocaine) around a nerve to stop or reduce nerve signal transmissions. This causes a feeling of numbness or lack of sensation. Nerves from the neck and shoulder blade often become inflamed, causing this discomfort, but can be safely and easily treated with a simple nerve block procedure.
What Should I Expect?
For the neck and shoulder nerve block procedures, you’ll be comfortably seated on the examination table. The injection process is brief, typically lasting no more than a minute or two.
You will receive an injection of nerve-blocking agents, occasionally combined with a steroid, expertly directed toward the affected nerve or nerve bundle responsible for the pain. Additionally, an injection of Toradol, an injectable nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), may be administered to further enhance the anti-inflammatory effect.
Following the completion of the procedure, you’ll relax in our comfortable recliner for approximately 8-10 minutes. Then, we will evaluate the intensity of your neck and shoulder pain. To ensure optimal recovery, we recommend that you take it easy for several hours post-procedure, although most patients can safely drive themselves home and resume their usual activities almost immediately.
It’s important to recognize that the extent and duration of pain relief can vary from person to person. While some individuals may experience nearly instantaneous relief, for others, relief may take a day or slightly longer. Relief from pain may span from days to several months, depending on the individual.
Sciatica Urgent Care Treatments
Sciatica, characterized by the excruciating pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, is a prevalent source of discomfort that affects countless individuals. The sciatic nerve, extending from the lower back down one or both legs, can cause persistent agony when compromised.
At The Migraine & Spine Clinic of Valdosta, we recognize the urgency of addressing sciatica pain and offer tailored treatment options that ensure fast relief while targeting the inflamed tissues responsible for your discomfort.
A sciatic nerve block is an injection to decrease inflammation and “turn off” a pain signal along the specific distribution of the sciatic nerve. A sciatic nerve block may allow the damaged nerve time to heal, providing temporary relief from pain.
What Should I Expect?
During the sciatic nerve block procedure, you will be comfortably positioned on the examination table. The injection itself only takes a minute or two. Patients will receive an injection of nerve-blocking agents, which may also be combined with a steroid, targeting the precise nerve or nerve bundle responsible for their pain. Additionally, we may administer an injection of Toradol, an injectable nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), to enhance the anti-inflammatory effect.
Following the completion of the procedure, you’ll recline in our comfortable chair for approximately 8-10 minutes. After this brief resting period, we will assess the intensity of your pain. We recommend that you take it easy for several hours post-procedure, but most patients can typically drive themselves home and resume their regular activities almost immediately.
It’s essential to understand that the duration of pain relief can vary from person to person. While some individuals may experience nearly instant relief, others may require a day or more, and the effects can last anywhere from days to several months.