Dr. Alex Steinbock, a board-certified neurologist at McLaren Macomb, has expanded his practice by adding Botox® injections to his treatment options for painful and debilitating chronic migraines.
With this treatment approved by the FDA, chronic migraines are defined as at least 15 headache days every month with at least eight of those occurrences featuring classic migraine symptoms:
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Pain on one side of the head
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Pain that throbs or pulses
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Sensitivities to light, sound, smell and/or touch
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Nausea with/without vomiting
“Chronic headaches can really hamper anyone’s overall quality of life, and as the frequency and severity of these occurrences increase, the more debilitating the results can be,” Dr. Steinbock said. “Migraines are the most common complaint I get from my patients, and to now have a safe, proven treatment that will have a lasting impact on them is an advantage for everyone.”
The third most common disease worldwide, migraines affect one in every seven Americans, and it’s the second leading cause of years lived with a disability, second only to chronic back pain. While the cause of migraines is unknown, they trigger abnormal nerve, chemical and vascular activity in the brain, resulting in increasingly intense pain and symptoms.
Botox®, as a treatment option, blocks the brain’s pain network from activating. Injected near the pain fibers associated with headaches, the substance enters the nerve endings and blocks the release of chemicals that transmit pain.
Covered by most insurances, Dr. Steinbock administers the injections in his office — a single dose every three months. Multiple patient studies have reported a significant reduction in the number of days every month they had a migraine (or any type of headache) while also reporting more pain-free days.
For more information, or to make an appointment with Dr. Steinbock, visit mclaren.org/steinbock.
About McLaren Macomb
McLaren Macomb is a 288-bed acute care hospital located in Mount Clemens, Mich. More than 400 physicians and nearly 2,000 employees work at McLaren Macomb, making it one of Macomb County’s top employers. With a network of offsite facilities and outpatient clinics, McLaren Macomb provides a full range of services, including trauma, orthopedics, surgical, cancer, imaging and cardiovascular care among others. As Macomb County’s first verified trauma center, the hospital operates the largest and busiest emergency department in Macomb County. Continuing to expand its services, McLaren Macomb has a rich history of providing high quality, compassionate health care and holds a strong position in the community it serves. To learn more, visit mclaren.org/macomb.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 15 hospitals in Michigan and Ohio, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 588,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 90,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.