5 Reasons to See a Specialist About Your Headaches

Headaches are common and often debilitating, but stopping the pain usually depends on the type you’re experiencing. 

Unfortunately, identifying your headache may be more challenging than you think since there are more than 150 types, from migraine to tension to rare but excruciatingly painful cluster headaches.

Board-certified neurologist and headache specialist Dr. Wade Steeves at Valley Neurology in Spokane Valley, Washington, excels at diagnosing and treating headaches of all types. His goal is to eliminate your pain and prevent future headaches whenever possible.

Here’s why the Valley Neurology team recommends seeing a specialist for headaches interfering with your daily routine.

Five benefits of seeing a specialist about your headaches

 The benefits of seeing a specialist for headaches include:

1. Accurate diagnosis

Headache specialists have extensive training and experience in diagnosing different headaches, including migraines, tension headaches, and rare types like cluster headaches. This expertise ensures you receive a correct diagnosis, which is crucial for effective treatment.

As a board-certified neurologist, Dr. Steeves is trained to recognize when a headache might be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as a brain tumor, aneurysm, or other neurological disorders, ensuring timely intervention.

2. Personalized treatment plans

Most over-the-counter headache remedies offer general pain relief that may tackle everything from joint pain to muscle aches and fevers. Dr. Steeves can develop individualized treatment plans tailored to your specific headache type.

That includes medications, lifestyle changes, and other therapeutic interventions to address acute symptoms and treatments that can prevent future headaches.

3. Access to advanced treatments

Specialists are often aware of and have access to the latest research, treatments, and technologies available for headache care and prevention.

That might include new medications, cutting-edge procedures, and emerging therapies not commonly available through general practitioners. For instance, Dr. Steeves might suggest Botox® injections for chronic migraines that have resisted traditional therapies.

For many individuals, Botox injections offer long-term relief from migraines, effectively reducing their frequency and severity.

4. Comprehensive management

As a headache specialist, Dr. Steeves can provide a holistic approach to managing your headaches by investigating other issues that might contribute. That could include sleep disorders, nutritional deficits, poor posture, increased stress, or other triggers.

After identifying these potential triggers, Dr. Steeves can help develop strategies beyond medication that limit or reduce the severity of future headaches.

5. Ongoing support

That might involve dietary recommendations, stress management techniques, and ongoing support through regular monitoring.

By assessing your response to treatments via follow-up visits and making necessary adjustments over time, a specialist helps ensure the best possible outcomes.

Schedule an evaluation with Dr. Steeves at Valley Neurology today for focused headache care that delivers long-term relief. Call the office or request an appointment online.