Her maxillo-facial muscles and nerves sustained damage caused by the incorrect size and shape of the crown the dentist put on a molar in her bottom left jaw.

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Within months of that visit to the dentist, Mrs K was starting to suffer from severe headaches, which got progressively worse over the years.

Her pain got even worse following an operation in 2000 to fuse her sixth and seventh vertebrae following a back injury.

Depending on painkillers
Visits to countless doctors and physiotherapists followed over the years, and Mrs K found herself depending on painkillers and anti-inflammatories to make day-to-day life bearable.

None of the doctors were able to help her, and many of them were dismissive of her problems. Mrs K entertained suicidal thoughts, was unable to carry out her duties on the farm she ran with her husband, and even found it difficult to travel in a car.

Mrs K only found relief from her pain when she visited The Headache Clinic after two years, where doctors were able to diagnose the root cause of her pain and treat her problem with physiotherapy, correcting the crown’s shaping and making her a custom-made dental prosthesis.

Since then, Mrs K’s condition has improved markedly and she has even been able to start rebuilding the strength of her chest, back and shoulder muscles.

“Mrs K’s case is by no means unusual: millions of South Africans live with debilitating headaches that undermine their quality of life,” says Dr Elliot Shevel, medical director at The Headache Clinic.

Shevel is the chairman of the South African branch of the International Headache Society (IHS) and an honorary Fellow of The International College of Craniomandibular Orthopaedics.

“Headaches have a huge impact on countless South Africans. People who are living in pain from headaches are urged to seek out proper diagnosis and treatment,” says Shevel.

Shevel notes that Mrs K’s case illustrates the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach since no one medical specialisation covers all the psychological and physical dimensions that impact on and are impacted by severe headaches.

The Headache Clinic’s maxillo-facial specialist, neurologist, dentist, radiographer and physiotherapist all had vital roles to play in the diagnosis and treatment of Mrs K’s pain.

Says Shevel: “Headache problems come in a variety of forms such as migraine, cluster, sinus, and tension, and cut right across nations, cultures, and races. The good news is that you no longer need to live with a headache, and you also don’t need to count on analgesic or other headache medications for relief from pain,” says Shevel.

Healthcare providers and medical scientists around the world have made important progress in understanding the root causes of headaches and migraines, and have developed powerful, drug-free techniques for relief and permanent treatment of the pain. Headaches are normally caused by problems in the head and neck structures, including nerves, blood vessels and muscles.

“Mrs K’s case study underlines several important characteristics of severe headaches: they undermine quality of life at home,” says Shevel.

Information provided by the Headache Clinic.
 

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