Headache

UT Southwestern Medical Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to treating headaches, delivering treatment strategies tailored to each patient’s unique condition and preferences. 

Our experts use the latest scientific advances in pain management to offer help and hope for those times when headaches move from being a nuisance to interfering with a patient’s life.

Why Choose UT Southwestern for Headache Care?

Everyone gets a headache now and then. But for many people, headaches become ongoing problems that seriously affect their lives. 

Specialists at UT Southwestern understand the physical debilitation and emotional stress caused by chronic headaches. Our physicians offer expert, compassionate care for patients experiencing pain associated with:

• Cluster headaches
• Idiopathic intracranial hypotension (also called pseudotumor cerebri syndrome), an increased pressure inside the skull that has no apparent cause
• Medication overuse
• Migraine headaches

Our headache team takes a multidisciplinary approach to each patient, bringing experts together from many areas of medicine to deliver compassionate care and the best outcomes possible for each patient.

Our specialized clinics offer treatments including botulinum toxin injections and nerve blocks to manage various headache disorders. Our clinic at Parkland Health is one of the few that provides headache care to underserved communities.

What Are the Types of Headache?

Headaches are caused by particular nerves in muscles and blood vessels sending pain signals to the brain. Triggers that cause those nerves to activate can vary widely and are not always clear.

Headaches are broadly separated into two categories, primary and secondary. Primary headaches include:

• Migraines
• Cluster headaches
• Tension headaches 

Secondary headaches are usually a symptom of another, underlying disorder, such as:

• Mood disorders
• Anxiety
• Sleep disturbances
• Sinus problems
• Hormonal conditions

How Is a Headache Diagnosed?

Headache care at UT Southwestern begins with a thorough assessment of a patient’s medical history, previous tests and treatments, and current medication list. Evaluations for related or underlying conditions might also be performed.

All new patients are seen by a physician, physical therapist, and psychologist, if needed. At the initial appointment, patients are asked to describe their headaches in detail. They might be asked to describe:

• A typical headache episode (if they are episodic) from beginning to end
• Warning signs, if any
• The location of the pain
• The character and severity of the pain
• Any sensitivity to light, sound, or odors
• How movement or physical activity affects the pain
• Other symptoms that accompany the headache
• Any triggers such as food, beverages, environment, or stress
• How the headaches affect overall quality of life
• Whether any other family member has headaches

Patients are encouraged to keep a headache diary and bring it with them to their first appointment.

What Treatments Are Available for Headaches?

After the initial evaluation, UT Southwestern physicians partner with each patient to develop a personalized plan of care. 

Depending on each patient’s specific condition, our specialists might prescribe medications that halt the headache process after it has started, or preventive medications that reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches. Medications are prescribed in a variety of forms, including injections, nasal sprays, and oral tablets.

In addition, UT Southwestern’s specialists might also prescribe other approaches to treating and managing pain, such as: