DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION

General Information about Our Headache Center

Welcome to the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION.  Our philosophy is to carefully evaluate your headache condition and define the origin of your headache pain. By identifying an accurate diagnosis, we can then develop an appropriate treatment plan for your specific situation.  The goal is to restore the highest quality of life possible through the most up to date therapeutic options currently available.  A successful headache program requires a partnership between our staff and our patients.   We believe it is important to involve the patient in treatment planning.  We strive to develop an alliance with our patients with a negotiated rather than dictated care plan. The management options may involve abortive medications, preventive medications as well as behavioral therapy. 

When a patient makes an appointment to visit the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION, they will receive a comprehensive questionnaire that must be completed and brought  to their first appointment or mailed to the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION in advance of the initial visit.  The questionnaire includes an in – depth evaluation of the patient’s medical history as well as a comprehensive review of their general medical history including previous tests, hospitalizations and treatments.  At the initial visit, in addition to the information completed on the questionnaire, a detailed headache and medical history will be obtained and a complete neurological examination will be performed.  At the conclusion of the history and examination, the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION physician will discuss the diagnosis and treatment options with the patient.  If indicated, additional medical referrals or diagnostic testing will also be discussed.  If any recent laboratory tests, CT scans or MRI scans have been performed, it would be helpful if the patient could bring the results of those procedures for our review.  At the completion of the initial consultation, the patient should have begun to understand the nature of their headache problem and will have reviewed management options.  If a physician or other health care provider has referred the patient to the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION, that individual will receive a comprehensive report of the initial examination and treatment plan.  It is always important to coordinate the treatment plan with the patient’s referring physician or other health care provider.  

Follow up visits are usually scheduled at regular intervals.  The frequency of return visits is dependent upon the intensity of the patient’s symptoms and will be scheduled at time intervals appropriate to their individual situation.  It is understood that a number of patients do not live in the Dallas / FT Worth area and travel long distances for scheduled appointments. Under these circumstances special scheduling can be arranged.  In addition, frequent patient communication with our staff and our networking with a personal physician or specialist closer to the patient’s home is encouraged.  This also provides good continuity of care.

THE DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm.  Following a scheduled appointment, all patients will receive an appointment reminder within 48 hours of their scheduled visit.  It has been well documented that when a headache patient fails to keep a doctors appointment, this greatly impacts all future treatment and compliance efforts.  A patient’s noncompliance undermines all treatment strategies.  Our office, therefore, makes every effort to call our patients to remind them of their appointments.  We request that patients must confirm their appointment, or reschedule their appointment with our office staff within 48 hours of their appointment reminder.  When a patient does not appear for their scheduled visit, it prevents another headache patient from being seen that same day.  For this reason, if a patient does not confirm or reschedule their appointment within 48 hours of their appointment reminder, their appointment will be cancelled and that designated time will be given to another patient on our waiting list. 

The disability associated with headache on our society is enormous; migraine in specific may truly be considered a hidden epidemic.  Over 90% of migraine sufferers have disability that ranges from diminished ability to perform daily activities to bed rest. A number of patients with episodic migraine transform into a chronic daily headache pattern which results in a significant impact within their lives (please refer to the article Chronic Daily Headache and Medication Overuse Headache on this website).  At the DALLAS HEADACHE ASSOCIATION we are focused on patient education and treatment strategies designed to improve the headache sufferer’s quality of life and decrease the impact of headache on the patient and their family.