Headaches and migraine are among the most common neurological conditions, affecting millions daily. As they become more frequent, headaches and migraine can significantly impact daily life, challenging work, social interactions, and even routine tasks as they become more frequent.
If you need additional support to manage your headaches, our National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery team can provide world-class expertise in diagnosing and managing all types of headaches.
We can assess and treat both primary headaches, such as migraine, tension-type headaches and cluster headaches, as well as secondary headaches, which may be caused by underlying conditions like trauma, vascular problems, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure issues.
When to seek specialist care for headaches
Many people can tolerate headaches for extended periods before seeking help. However, you may want to seek additional support if you:
- Have frequent or chronic headaches (occurring on multiple days per month)
- Have severe headaches that are interfering with your daily life
- Have new or sudden onset headaches
- Have headaches that worsen over time
- Have headaches accompanied by neurological symptoms, like changes in your vision, dizziness, or weakness.
A range of diagnostic and treatment options for headaches and migraine
At The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, we can provide some of the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options for headaches and migraine.
Our world-renowned specialists will use a combination of detailed patient history, headache diaries, and state-of-the-art imaging to determine the cause of your headaches and support you in developing a personalised treatment plan.
Our diagnostic options also include:
- High-resolution MRI and CT scans at one of the UK's leading imaging centres, Queen Square Imaging Centre
- Lumbar punctures for diagnosing CSF pressure-related headaches
- Angiography and advanced neuroimaging to assess vascular-related headaches
We offer a wide range of treatment options, depending on your diagnosis. These can include:
- Medication management, including new CGRP inhibitors for migraine relief
- Botox injections for chronic migraine treatment
- Nerve blocks to provide transitional headache relief
- Surgical procedures for conditions like trigeminal neuralgia and CSF leaks
- Gamma knife radiosurgery
We are also among the few centres that can offer specialist headache care for adolescents (16-17 years old)
A multidisciplinary approach to care
One of the standout features of the headache service at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery is our multidisciplinary approach.
If you need it, we can offer seamless access to neurological specialists, including a range of neurology subspecialties, neurosurgeons, neuro-ophthalmologists, and neuro-oncologists.
Our collaborative approach ensures that all aspects of your condition are considered, leading to a more effective and comprehensive treatment plan.
A centre of excellence for headache management
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for neurological care. Our headache specialists are at the forefront of headache and migraine research and treatment, which means we can offer you the most cutting-edge therapies and treatment options.
