Headache & Neck Pain

Headache Treatment with Dr. Jim Ney, DMD, FAAOP

Watch the video first and then page down to see pictures of patients in pain, the location of the trigger points (X) and the site of the pain referral marked in red.

Have you ever been to the doctor for treatment of your headache and had any of the following thoughts or questions?

1.  When I take migraine medication, I get better, but the pain comes right back and I don't have enough medication to last the month.

2. My neck hurts constantly, but the X rays don't show anything.

3. I have a headache above my eyes but my sinuses are fine.

4. I have pain in my eye, but my primary care doctor nor the ophthalmologist    
    cannot find anything wrong.

5. I have an ear ache, and the doctor can not see anything wrong.

6. My teeth hurt and my dentist cannot find anything wrong with my teeth.

7. I am tired when I go to bed and tired when I wake up.

8. I have headaches all of the time and my Doctor says it is stress.               
     I think most of my stress is caused by the headaches!

9. I had a CAT scan and nothing showed up that would cause headache.

10. They told me to go to physical therapy. The physical therapist was nice but it 
     did not help my headache.

11. I go to the chiropractor and he helps but the headache keeps coming back....Do I 
       have to go the rest of my life?

12. It is so hard to deal with a headache and work, be a good wife (or husband) and
       mother (father) with the pain... I can't do it all!

There are many other types of headache, neck and jaw pain that we treat, but the pictured pain is 
the most common, it is called myofascial pain.  Go ahead and Google it and see what you find.                         

How to tell the difference between Muscle related Headaches, Migraine and Nerve type headaches

Fifty years ago Xerox invented the first copy machine and there were no competitors . Back then you did not say "get me a copy of this" but rather you said "get me a Xerox of this"



Well today when you have a "really bad headache" you say it's a "migraine" but 85% of the time, it will be muscle related headache not migraine.



Now, let's try to tell the difference between a migraine headache and a muscle related headache and nerve type pain.


Remember, that according to the American and the International Headache Society's that 85% of all headaches are muscle type headaches and 12% are Migraine headaches.


Muscle Pain



Muscle related headaches have symptoms like constant or slowly throbbing type pain. They can go on for days and weeks or even months of pain. Some days are better than others but the pain or pressure is almost always there.

Also, when you squeeze the muscle around the head and neck (not the skin), you have to grab the muscle) the muscles are very sore.



Muscle related headaches and neck pain are treated totally different than migraine and actual nerve pain.


Migraines


Migraines on the other hand may not be present everyday. When they are present, the pain is horrible and can totally take over your life.



The pain from migraine is usually described as fast throbbing or it hurts to walk or move.



Migraine pain is totally different than muscle type pain.



Nerve Pain



There are also other types of headaches like those involved with a nerve itself.



This kind of pain is usually described as a burning or electric shock type of pain. This type of pain can be the worst type of pain in the world. It comes and goes without warning, but eating, touching your face or even a light breeze can set it off and it will literally knock you off your feet.



The treatment for this is totally different than the treatment of migraine or muscle related headache.



Now where did I learn all of this? From over 35 years of studying headaches and I myself have had a muscle type of a headache (7 years) and have had migraines on many occasions. I never had nerve type pain.



I am totally pain free now and have been for over 30 years...I still have to follow my treatment regimen.



We have over a 95% success rate in managing our patients' pain. As far as I know we are one of the few headache clinics that treat almost all of the presentations of headache; Migraine, Muscle and Nerve.



This is why we can have such a high percentage of success.



The secret is in the diagnosis and the correct treatment for that diagnosis.



We sincerely look forward to seeing you and helping you with your pain. Pain can ruin your life, relationships, jobs, having fun and many other positive events in your life.

PROUDLY SERVING RICHMOND, BEREA, IRVINE AND LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

DENTISTRY SERVICES

Dr. Ney has been practicing general dentistry for over 35 years. One of the most important parts of what we do is explaining everything to our patients so they feel confident in our care.
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HEADACHES & NECK PAIN

Dr. Ney has treated patients for headaches related to jaw and neck muscles for over 30 years. 85% of all headache is muscle-related, and we're the only specialty that treats neck and jaw muscles.
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SLEEP APNEA & SNORING

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that can be dangerous, as it causes a person to repeatedly stop breathing while he or she is asleep. Chronic snoring is a main symptom of sleep apnea. 
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