There are many advantages that are widely recognized in using Sphenopalatine Ganglion Blocks to treat chronic headaches,cluster headaches,migraines, anxiety, TMJ disorders and other chronic pain conditions.
One excellent reason to utilize these blocks is cost containment, they are one of the most cost effective and safest treatments for chronic headaches, migraines and cluster headaches. They often offer an alternative to expensive visits to emergency rooms and inpatient hospital headache regimens
The most effective approach to stopping an acute or chronic headache or migraine is to do the Supra-zygomatic injection approach either unilaterally o bilaterally.
Regular physician appointments to do trans-nasal catheter treatment of the Ganglion with the Sphenocath device, the Allevio device of the TX360 device (MiRx protocol) can be extremely effective in eliminating or decreasing chronic headaches and migraines but can become very expensive over time.
The most cost effective approach is self administration or SPG Blocks by patients. Self administration would be done with nasal catheters, either one of the devices listed above or with cotton tipped nasal catheters. Patients can easily learn to preform the procedure in the comfort of their homes. The majority of patients find self administration with the cotton tipped catheters most convenient but I also teach patients to self administer with the Sphenocath device if they have difficult nasal passages.
Cotton tipped nasal catheters allow patients to self administer the bilateral SPG Blocks for about $1.00 after initial training. In addition to saving thousands of dollars in medication and hospital costs there are savings in costs of doctors visits.
The biggest savings is in patients time and decrease in interferences in their lives. The patient is put in control of their own pain management and almost all of the side effects of SPG Blocks are positive. The blocks are often used for their side effects as well as managing pain.
Self Administration is a win-win for patients, their families and insurance companies.