What We Offer You for Headache Care
- World-class expertise in treating all types of headaches and facial pain. Go to Conditions Treated
- A patient-centered treatment plan geared toward your expectations and needs, including medications, procedures, devices, and complementary and integrative medicine strategies. Go to Treatments
- Clinical trials that provide access to novel treatment approaches. Go to Clinical Trials
- A team of specialists working in close coordination on a personalized and thorough care plan to meet your needs. Go to Your Care Team
- Comprehensive support services to restore your high quality of life. Go to Support Services
- Access to dedicated care teams that partner with you and your family to guide you through each step of your care. Go to Connecting to Care
The Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic diagnoses and treats more than 150 types of headaches. With our leading headache experts and state-of-the-art care, we’re dedicated to helping you find the correct diagnosis and most effective treatment. Our experienced care team helps you identify and manage every aspect of your headache or facial pain.
We diagnose and treat all types of headaches and facial pain, including:
Cluster headache is a very painful headache on one side of the head that usually lasts between 15 minutes and three hours. This type of headache can occur several times a day for days to weeks, or even months. Cluster headache is the most common type of one-sided headache. Other types of one-sided headaches include:
- Hemicrania continua: This headache causes constant pain that lasts for at least three months.
- Paroxysmal hemicrania: This headache happens several times a day and lasts from a few minutes up to 30 minutes.
- Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with cranial autonomic symptoms (SUNA): SUNA causes moderate to severe pain around one eye that lasts from five seconds to 10 minutes and may occur five or six times each hour. It also causes one or more symptoms including runny nose; facial sweating; eye pressure, redness, or tearing; eyelid swelling; and ear fullness.
- Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT): SUNCT is similar to SUNA in frequency, length, and intensity but only causes eye tearing and redness.
High pressure in the fluid around the brain causes IIH, leading to symptoms such as headaches and vision problems. A multidisciplinary team of neuro-ophthalmologists, interventional radiologists, and neurosurgeons treats this condition.
This fairly common but underrecognized headache is caused by tiny leaks of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain, which lead to low CSF pressure. CSF leaks may result from head or neck trauma, spinal surgery, a spinal tap, or unknown causes. This type of headache is usually worse when standing and goes away when lying down.
Migraine is a genetic disorder with symptoms that can include head pain, nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. Most people with migraine have fewer than 15 headache days a month (episodic migraine). But some people have chronic migraine. Symptoms last for more than three months and include:
- More than 15 headache days a month
- At least eight moderate to severe headache days
NDPH is a rare type of headache that starts suddenly and doesn’t stop. It can be unrelenting and difficult to treat. NDPH can resemble other types of headaches, but it lasts for at least three months and causes moderate to severe pain.
Occipital neuralgia is a headache felt primarily at the back of the head, usually on one side. It often occurs along with other headache types, such as migraine.
Post-traumatic headache most commonly occurs after head trauma like concussion. This mild to severe headache is often seen in athletes, veterans, and teenagers. Symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and light and noise sensitivity may resemble other headache types.
Tension-type headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. It’s usually associated with muscle tightness in these areas. Unlike migraine, it doesn’t cause nausea or light and sound sensitivity.
Trigeminal neuralgia is nerve pain that causes sudden, short-lasting, stabbing pain on one side of the face. This condition typically affects the lower two-thirds of the face. Any stimulation in that area, such as drinking or smiling, can trigger trigeminal neuralgia.
Managing headaches is not just a matter of finding the right medication. A successful treatment plan begins with a proper diagnosis that leads to a comprehensive and personalized plan for each patient. Our team tailors a complete program focused on helping you prevent headaches and manage them when they do occur.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
- The Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic offers one of the largest programs in the US that diagnoses and treats headaches.
- Our team includes board-certified headache specialists, some who also specialize in pain medicine, dizziness and vertigo, head trauma, and various other specialties.
- We are involved in many clinical trials and ongoing research to test new treatment options for headache care and gain a better understanding of what causes headache.
Treatment Options
While the Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic puts a great deal of emphasis on lifestyle modification, we use every tool in the box to help decrease the frequency, severity, and length (duration) of your headaches. These may include prescription medications, devices, and procedures. Whenever possible, we use evidence-based, nonmedication strategies such as complementary and integrative treatment approaches.
Each visit starts with a conversation about how you’re doing and your goals for the visit. At the end of each visit, we provide a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Therapies we may recommend include:
Our experts will suggest immediate treatment options when you have an active headache. Medication is the cornerstone of treatment. We may recommend:
- Over-the-counter pain relief, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Prescription headache medications, such as triptans for migraine, and anti-nausea medications
We can recommend treatments and strategies to help minimize external and internal triggers that can impact headache. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Strategies to help prevent headaches may include:
- Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) therapies
- Oral medications
- Procedures such as nerve blocks, trigger point injections, and onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) injections
We also recommend CIM strategies to help reduce headaches, including:
- Dietary supplements, such as CoQ10, feverfew, magnesium, and riboflavin
- Education on and referrals for physical therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, and pain management
- Lifestyle modifications, such as keeping a consistent schedule for meals, doing aerobic exercise, and getting enough sleep
Innovation Through Clinical Research
Stanford Health Care Neuroscience actively participates in groundbreaking research and clinical trials to evaluate new and better ways to diagnose, treat, and manage neurological disorders. Participating in a trial may give you access to experimental therapies that are not available otherwise. We also partner with the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute to better understand the brain, develop new treatments for brain disorders, and promote brain health.
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
Your Circle of Care
A diagnosis of a neurological condition—and the changes it may bring—can be unsettling. We offer you and your caregivers the personalized support you need at every step. Your team listens to you and develops a plan for your situation. And you’ll work with the same team from diagnosis throughout treatment, so we can get to know you and your needs.
Each person’s experience is unique, which is why we provide personalized care. Our team tailors treatment and supportive services to meet your individual needs.
Your Doctors
Headache and Facial Pain Specialist
A headache specialist is a neurologist. This type of medical doctor has specialized training in diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system, including headaches.
View All {0} Headache And Facial Pain Specialists »Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Specialist/Pain Management Specialist
A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak specialist is a medical doctor trained to evaluate, diagnose, and treat CSF leaks. A pain management specialist is a board-certified specialist in pain medicine who evaluates and treats pain, including headaches.
View All {0} Pain Management Specialists »Concussion Specialist
A concussion specialist is a neurologist who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and managing traumatic brain injury, including headache management.
View All {0} Medical Acupuncturists »Advanced Practice Provider
Our skilled nurse practitioners specialize in diagnosing and treating headaches. They see patients independently and occasionally alongside your doctor. Advanced practice providers can write prescriptions, perform procedures, and help prevent or treat any issues.
View All {0} Advanced Practice Provider Doctors »Extended Care Team
Nurses and Nurse Coordinators (RNs)
Nurses and nurse coordinators are registered nurses who coordinate your care with your medical team. They guide you from your first contact through follow-up care and help you find counseling, financial, and other support services.
View All {0} Acne And Rosacea Specialists »Care Coordinators
Care coordinators provide you with information and assistance before and during your appointment:
- Medical assistant: Medical assistants work with our team to help provide care. They may prepare you for an examination, assist your doctor, or take vitals before your appointment.
- Patient care coordinator: Our patient care coordinators help you with scheduling appointments and accessing your lab results.
- Patient access representative: Patient access representatives can answer any questions you have about insurance coverage, help you apply for insurance, and refer you to a Stanford Health Care financial counselor.
Research Coordinators
If you qualify for a clinical trial, our research coordinators guide you through the process. They educate you about what to expect during the study, answer your questions, and schedule your appointments.
View All {0} Immunologists »Support Services
Your wellness is our top priority. As part of your care, we design a wellness plan to support you and your family before, during, and after treatment.
We offer a wide array of support services to help you to feel your best. Contact our Neuro Care Services for your personal support plan.
We make access to care as simple as possible. We anticipate what you need and provide support when you need it. Our network of locations puts our services within your reach. User-friendly digital health tools help you stay connected with your care team. We accept most insurance plans and offer discounted transportation, short-stay options, and international travel and translation services. We help make sense of the details, so you can make decisions that are right for you.
At the Stanford Health Care Headache Clinic, we make accessing care easy and convenient. We make every effort to coordinate your appointments so that you can see multiple providers, as needed, during a single visit.
For Referring Physicians
PHYSICIAN HELPLINE
Phone: 1-866-742-4811
Fax: 650-320-9443
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Stanford Health Care provides comprehensive services to refer and track patients, as well as the latest information and news for physicians and office staff. For help with all referral needs and questions, visit Referring Physicians.
Email or fax a Headache and Facial Pain Clinic referral form with supporting documentation to ReferralCenter@stanfordhealthcare.org or 650-320-9443.
