By: Susan Aldridge, medical journalist, PhD
Removal of muscles that trigger a migraine can decrease the amount of sick leave people take.
Migraine can be a disabling condition and may leave the sufferer unable to work during an attack. It can be treated with medication but, as researchers at Case Western Reserve University now point out, surgery can also be an option.
The muscles that trigger an attack are found either in the forehead or the back of the head. Once identified, they can be removed by surgery. In this study, those having the operation missed only one day's work a month, compared to four days a month before the surgery. The operation reduced the frequency, intensity and duration of migraines for 92 per cent of the patients - and 35 per cent said the problem had been completely eliminated.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery January 2005