Cervical medial branch block

They are mainly used for neck pain. The nerves that would affect your migraines would high up C1-C4. I've had blocks in the past ( lower) and gotten some neck pain relief. I'm having C-2 through C-4 done this Thursday, but my doctor warned me your migraines and neck pain are completely different. She said you may get some mild relief from your migraines, but this is not a migraine treatment. I'm doing it anyway, because I'm desperate and if I get some neck pain relief where the nerves are that have "some kind of connection to migraines", I'm going to try it. Where are the doing the blocks? And do you suffer from neck pain? I'm interested to hear what another doctors approach is, because I'm learning they are all different. Please let me know what your doctor told you and what you decide to do. Good luck.
Dana

And welcome, you've found a great support system here!

It's being done at a pain clinic in Augusta, GA. I do have a little pain now and then with my neck, however I do have a loss of ROM and pain when trying to do ROM. To be honest, it was my first visit there, they did not have any of my records, MRI or X-ray results there for review, and yet the first recommended treatment was the branch block. I did not see a doctor, I saw a PA, which I have found is not always a bad thing. She went mostly off of my verbal history which is not very thorough due to memory issues. I had been receiving Botox injections until a few months ago until the VA choice program stopped paying the neurologist they had sent me to. I tried to keep them going using my personal insurance but the cost out of pocket was too much. The Botox seemed to be helping but I had only had two rounds of injections so it's hard to know for sure. Have you done any research on them? If so what did you find or where did you find it?

Well, it's not so much about research, it's that I have had them done many times, that's why I asked where in the c-spine they were doing them. I have neck problems and have had C-6 through C-7 done many times, hoping if I didn't have the neck pain, maybe I wouldn't get migraine's (you know the chicken and the egg thing). But that wasn't the case. I was referred to a pain specialist who wanted to do blocks and then a radio frequency ablation at C-2 and C-3 , but she did a trial of 3 with just lidocaine, no steroids, and on the third one I had an unrelated bad reaction ( so she refused to proceed) so I went back to the doctor who had done the other injections and they said they would try them with the steroid, no trial, but they would not do an ablation that high and it was unlikely it would help with my migraines. But like I said, I'm trying anything these days. You probably haven't found much research on it for migraines because generally that isn't what it's used for. Even the doctor who was going to do it for my migraines documented my chief complaint as "neck pain ". If they are doing it any lower than C-4 I would question them, if not, you just have to decide whether or not you think it's worth it. It would be like getting one Botox injection. I can let you know Friday how I feel. When is yours scheduled for?