Migraines are a common medical condition among youth and adults, affecting 12 percent of people ages 12 and older. They can be especially debilitating in teenagers and often disrupt everyday activities, such as school, music and sports.

The innovative treatment—sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block—does not involve needles touching the patient. Instead, a small flexible catheter is inserted into each nostril and local anesthetic is administered to the SPG, a nerve bundle thought to be associated with migraines, located at the back of the nose. Briefly disabling the SPG can disrupt and reset the headache circuit, breaking a cycle of severe migraines and reducing the need for medication. The minimally invasive SPG block takes almost immediate effect with relief potentially lasting for months, researchers said. SPG blocks are not a frontline treatment. A child only qualifies for the therapy if he/she has been diagnosed with a severe migraine that has not responded to first-line treatments.

"This treatment, performed in an outpatient setting by an interventional radiologist, can safely relieve a child's migraine quickly," said Robin Kaye, MD, section chief of interventional radiology in the department of medical imaging at Phoenix Children's Hospital and a co-author of the study. "By reducing the need for medications that come with serious side effects or intravenous therapies that may require hospital stays, children don't have to miss as much school and can get back to being a kid sooner."

Kaye and her team conducted 310 treatments in 200 patients ages 7 to 18 at Phoenix Children's Hospital. Patients' pain levels before the intervention were recorded on a scale of 1-10. Ten minutes after the treatment, patients were asked to compare their pain level, using the same scale. The researchers saw a statistically significant decrease in the headache scores, with average pain score reduction of just more than 2 points on the 10-point scale.

"While it isn't a cure for migraines, this treatment has the potential to really improve the quality of life for many children," said Kaye. "It can be performed easily, without complications, and gives quick pain relief, which is important to parents who want to see their children happy, healthy and pain free again. If needed, we can also repeat the treatment if or when the migraine returns."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

ICYMI: Iranian People March in DC in Support of Op Epic Fury and Trump; 'We Will Reclaim Our Country'

Trump's FDA Indicates Move Away from Testing on Dogs, Bunnies, Chimpanzees

Chicago Bulls Dump Player after His Criticism of Pride Month

Finally Confirmed: Michigan Synagogue Car Ramming Was 'Hezbollah-Inspired' Terror Attack

SURPRISE! Zohran Mamdani's New 'Free' Childcare Program is Going to Cost $60,000 Per Child

Courtroom Bombshell: ATF Can't Link Bullet That Killed Charlie Kirk to Suspect's Rifle

FBI: Over 6,200 Missing Children Located, More Than 300 Human Traffickers and 1,700 Child Predators Arrested over Past Year

SCOTUS Rules on Colorado's Ban on 'Conversion Therapy' to Help Gender Dysphoric Individuals

President Trump Shares Letter on Palm Sunday, from Franklin Graham Discussing Salvation

HSLDA Lawyer Warns This Bill Would Create a 'Surveillance State' for Homeschooling Families

Major Airports Return to Normal as TSA Workers Get Paid

GROTESQUE: Barack Obama's Orwellian Push for Virginia Redistricting Is Something to Behold

Not 'Leaderless': the 'No Kings' Protests Are Well-Funded by These Notorious Billionaires

Ilhan Omar's Connection to Genocide in Somaliland, and Fraud in the US; Will She Be Deported?

Prayer Alert: Nigerian Christians Massacred on Palm Sunday

Iran's Exiled Crown Prince Receives Standing Ovation at CPAC from Huge Iranian-American Audience [Watch Full Speech]

Campus Awakening Continues: Baptisms in Pickup Trucks, Physical Healings Reported in UniteUS College Revival at Pitt

Explosive Intel Report: Ukraine War Aid May Have Been Funneled to Biden Campaign, DNC

Indicted Democrat Rep. Found Guilty of More Than 2 Dozen Ethics Violations; Faces Possible Expulsion from Congress

Congress Requests Documents after Reports on California Hospice Fraud