Author Topic: Muscular Dural Adhesions - Headache Source?  (Read 4121 times)

deboline

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Muscular Dural Adhesions - Headache Source?
« on: January 29, 2014, 12:13:22 pm »
Has anyone had a follow up surgery based on the theory that post op headaches could be caused by adhesions to the dura? I have had post op headaches since my original surgery in 2004.  I had a cranioplasty revision in 2008 where the titanium mesh was removed.  I experience great relief from the chronic headaches I was having. However, this lasted only about 3 1/2 years before the headaches began coming back more intense in nature and more frequently. I have been seeing a top headache specialist over the past 1 1/2 years and we have pretty much exhausted every option out there - medications, nerve blocks, cranial sacral therapy, accupuncture, botox injections and antidepressants.  I am back to where I was in 2008 with chronic headaches that are severely affecting my quality of life. 
It has been suggested to me by my neurosurgeaon that the source of my pain could be adhesions to the dura.  This makes sense to me since I received such relief in 2008 from the cranioplasty revision I had and my doctors recently discovered that during the revision, the incision site was not re-packed with tissue - therefore, there is no barrier between the nerves and muscles and the dura. I am about to undergo another attempt to clean up the area and pack it with tissue.
I am curious if anyone else has pursued this theory.

Lesliegc

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Re: Muscular Dural Adhesions - Headache Source?
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2014, 01:40:15 pm »
I know that I've heard dural adhesions listed as one of the possible reasons for chronic daily headache following cranioplasty....I too have chronic daily headache, though not severe, and have since about 6 months after my AN (middle fossa) surgery in 2011. I tried acupuncure, cranialsacral, meds, nerve blocks, etc. I also looked into peripheral nerve excision or decompression, based on some recommendations here, but after talking with the surgeon, we determined that I was likely not a candidate. And my headache guy said he had patients who had done nerve excision and then experienced a horrifiying condition akin to "phantom limb" pain, only with nerve pain. Awful. Will you keep us posted on how your procedure goes? For my part, for anyone who is interested, I took indomethacin for 2 years and it did control the headache, but I didn't like the side effects nor the prospect of bleeding ulcers. I found that I could transition to taking curamid, a highly potent form of curcumin (made from turmeric) and it almost completely knocks it back. No side effects. It's expensive, but so was the indomethacin, and so for now I'm living with low level manageable pain and relying on the curamid (extra strength) 4 tablets twice a day. It works for me, but so do all of those (now forbidden) over the counter meds. Just can't use them. At any rate, best of luck to you, so sorry you've had to deal with this for so very long. And please do let us know how the dural procedure goes.
4mmx9mm  right side
diagnosed 6/11/11
middle fossa  7/25/11 at HEI
developed chronic headaches at 5 months post op