Headache and Migraine Care in Inwood, NY
Frequent or severe headaches deserve a careful look. Our medical director, Dr. David Steiner, specializes in headache and pain management. We look at what type of headache you have and what may be driving it, then build a plan that fits your life.
Headaches we evaluate
Most headaches follow a pattern, and naming the pattern is the first step. We evaluate:
- Migraine: throbbing pain, often on one side, that can come with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Some people see flashing lights or zigzag lines first (aura).
- Frequent or daily headaches, including headaches that return as pain relievers wear off
- Hemicrania continua: a steady one-sided headache that does not go away, with flare-ups of stronger pain
- Paroxysmal hemicrania and SUNCT: short, intense attacks of pain around one eye, often with a red or watery eye or a runny nose on the same side. These belong to the same family as cluster headache.
- Occipital neuralgia: sharp, shooting pain at the back of the head and upper neck
- Trigeminal neuralgia: sudden, electric-shock face pain, often set off by chewing, talking or a light touch
- Headaches that started after a head injury (see concussion and brain injury care)
How we find the cause
Most headaches are diagnosed from a careful history and exam. A headache diary helps: note when each headache starts, how long it lasts, what you were doing, and what you took for it. Morning headaches can be a sign of a sleep problem such as sleep apnea, which we can test for.
When your history or exam calls for a closer look, we may order testing. Read about each test on our Tests We Do page.
- Open MRI: detailed brain imaging through Village Open MRI, a division of our practice, with an open design that can help if closed spaces bother you.
- Transcranial Doppler (TCD): a painless ultrasound that checks blood flow in the arteries inside the brain.
Your care plan
Headache care should fit your pattern. A plan often has two parts: what to do when a headache starts, and steps to make headaches come less often. We also look at triggers such as sleep, stress, skipped meals and caffeine.
Taking pain relievers too often can lead to more headaches, so we review everything you use, including medicines bought at the store. Face and scalp nerve pain, such as trigeminal and occipital neuralgia, is part of our headache and pain care.
Follow-up visits let us see what is working and adjust the plan. We keep your primary doctor informed.
When to see a neurologist
Call 911 for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst headache of your life, or a headache with weakness, face drooping, trouble speaking, confusion, a seizure, or a stiff neck with fever.
Book a visit with a neurologist if:
- Headaches come often, or more often than they used to
- You have a new kind of headache, especially after age 50
- Headaches wake you from sleep
- Headaches keep you from work, school or family time
- Pain relievers from the store do not help, or you need them often
- You have stabbing face pain or shooting pain at the back of the head
Insurance
We accept most major insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, plus No-Fault and Workers' Compensation when headaches follow a car or work accident. Please see the plans we take, or call us to confirm your coverage.
Other conditions we treat
Visit Five Towns Neurology
Our office is at 233 Doughty Blvd, Inwood, NY 11096, on the South Shore of Long Island. Call (516) 239-1800. Hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 9am to 2pm. We are closed on Saturday.
Allow at least 3 hours for your first visit. It includes a full history and physical exam, and testing is usually done the same day when possible. Bring your medications, past test results and MRIs, your insurance card, and a referral if your plan needs one. A headache diary is helpful too. Read about your first visit or contact us to book.