Migraine relief

When you have a migraine, all you want to do is feel better.

One Valley woman is finding quick relief at AZ Pain Centers.

"I have had headaches, a combination of migraines and tension headaches, ever since I had a car accident 25 years ago," Dawne Hennessy said.

For years, Hennessy was able to control her migraines with over-the-counter medicine, massage and acupuncture. But as she got older, the pain became unbearable.

"It was controlling my whole life," Hennessy said. "I mean any day without a headache was a great day."

Hennessy finally reached the end of her rope. So when she heard about a new treatment at AZ Pain Centers in Chandler, she figured she had nothing to lose.

"By using the non-steroidal injection mechanism, we can treat almost any type of patients anywhere from teenagers to the elderly past 90," Dr. Tom Masters said.

You've probably heard of non-steroidal pain relievers. They include aspirin and Celebrex.

The difference is the injection targets the pain directly and doctors say that provides better long-term relief.

Masters said the procedure is pretty simple. Patients get a series of three shots over a month-and-a-half period.

"The whole object is after the procedure, whatever area we're working at whether it be the lower back or upper back or whatever, that they are pain free when they leave," Masters said.

"To find something that could give me relief without having to be dependent on taking medicine five out of the seven days, that was huge," Hennessy said.

"It's FDA approved since 1986, the main medication that we use," Dr. Alex Bigham said, "and it's actually been used for over 50 years."

Bigham is one of the owners of AZ Pain Centers. He says there are several benefits to using a non-steroidal injection instead of a steroid.

"It's not as painful of a procedure so therefore we eliminate the general anesthesia or conscience sedation medications," Bigham said. "We're not limited into how much of the medication we can put into the area because it does not have that breakdown effect. We can treat more body areas at one time, so we're able to treat a lot more tissue at one time, giving a much better effect."

For Hennessy, now that her migraines have been greatly reduced, she only comes back to the center every couple of months.

"I can go where I want, I can do what I want, and it doesn't control me," Hennessy said.

The procedure only takes about 15 minutes.