Nerve Stimulation for Migraines
How ENS Works
ENS devices target specific nerves with a harmless electrical current to try to shut down a migraine. These nerves play a role in facial sensation, heart rate, and pain perception. By stimulating these nerves, ENS can reduce migraine frequency and intensity.
Transcutaneous Supraorbital Nerve Stimulation
This is also called external trigeminal nerve stimulation (e-TNS). To prevent a migraine, you put it on your forehead for 20 minutes every day. If you do get a migraine, you can put it on for up to an hour to treat the pain.
Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation
This treatment also works through your skin, but it targets the vagus nerve in the sides of your neck. You hold it to the side of your neck for two minutes, three times a day. When you have a migraine, you can use it when you feel pain, then again after 20 minutes.
Remote Electrical Neuromodulation
This treatment works on the idea that stimulating nerves in one part of the body will short-circuit the pain response in another part. It's a cuff you wrap around your upper arm that applies an electrical pulse to the nerves, and you control it with a smartphone app.
Occipital Nerve Stimulation
This is a surgery where wires are implanted under the skin at the base of your skull, just above your neck. They're attached to a small generator that's sewn inside your body, usually under your collarbone or in your abdomen. Doctors are using it off-label or experimentally for people who don't respond to drug treatment.
Side Effects and Research
Common side effects of ENS include tingling, headaches, and sleepiness. While many devices show promise in initial studies, ongoing research is necessary to confirm long-term benefits.