Video Q & A

Frequently Asked Questions about the Reed Procedure℠

If you suffer from chronic, severe head pain and are considering the Reed Procedure℠, you may have questions. Kenneth Reed, M.D., the inventor of this revolutionary neurostimulation implant procedure for migraine pain, answers some of the most common patient questions in the following videos.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions. We look forward to talking with you and helping you find effective relief from your chronic migraine pain.

Q: What is Reed Migraine Centers?

Founded by Kenneth Reed, M.D., Reed Migraine Centers is a network of world-class partner physicians based in Dallas, Texas that focus on the treatment of headaches, particularly with neurostimulators. Reed Migraine Centers is the first medical institution in the world to implant a neurostimulator for headache control and has recently extended this technique to treat severe migraine headaches across the country.

Q: What is an implantable neurostimulator?

An implantable neurostimulator is a medical device that is placed underneath the skin, at the target areas, to control migraine headaches. Similar to a pacemaker’s purpose for the heart, where a small battery is placed under the skin and a tiny wire passes up to the heart to pace it, the same is true for the implantable neurostimulator. For headache sufferers, tiny wires pass underneath the skin to superficial locations in the head, and once turned on, effectively stop the headache. The battery lasts up to 10 years and when in need of replacement, consists of a quick 30-minute procedure. The implantable neurostimulator is completely reversible and can be removed at any time.

Q: How does neurostimulation work?

The battery generates a mild, electromagnetic field at the tip of a long wire, connected to the small battery pack and emits electrical pulses to the superficial nerves in the forehead and back of the head. Headache pain is then replaced with a tingling or massaging sensation almost instantly. Medical studies show that while the device is stimulating the superficial nerves, it is also stimulating deep centers in the brain related to the areas important in the modulation and genesis of headaches. Thus, the neurostimulator works in a very safe fashion to stop or prevent headaches from occurring altogether. For patients who positively respond to the trial procedure and move forward with the permanent unit, the response is dramatic and results are often immediate.

Q: Am I a good candidate?

Candidates for the Reed ProcedureSM are patients with severe headaches who have already exhausted other treatments and medications but have not responded adequately. We treat several different diagnostic categories at Reed Migraine Centers, and a good candidate endures severe, frequent headaches, occurring several times a week.  These patients have daily, continuous head pain that keeps them from functioning through daily activities such as attending school or work. Instead, they find themselves taking frequent trips to the emergency room for treatment. This severe head pain has been described as a ‘knife going through the eye’ followed by escalating pain and additional symptoms including nausea and vomiting. More commonly, before a headache occurs, people will experience an aura, where they may have an unusual feeling, sense of smell, and/or begin to see little flashing lights in front of their eyes, which heralds a headache. All of these general symptoms indicate a patient is a good candidate for the Reed ProcedureSM.

Q: Why is the trial done?

With the test stimulator, we implant a temporary unit, which is much like an IV tube underneath the skin, and leave it in for a few days to see if the patient stops feeling the headaches. If the unit works, it does so both dramatically and immediately. The patient will return to the office three to seven days later and tell us if it worked. The trial is a medical procedure performed in the outpatient setting at the hospital and takes 15 minutes. During this completely painless procedure, the patient is given an IV sedative and once asleep, a tiny IV tube is placed above each eyebrow and two more are placed in the back of the head. There is no incision during the trial.  When the patient wakes up, they have tape over the upper eyebrow area and small wires sticking out from underneath that plug into a battery box located outside of the body. Once in the recovery room, a representative from Reed Migraine Centers will turn on the system, and the patient will begin to feel a mild, tingling sensation in the forehead, as well as in the back of the head. The patient will then go home wearing the temporary unit for three to seven days. Typically, there are dramatic effects and the patient will know, with a high degree of certainty, whether or not the procedure will work right away. The patient will return after the trial period and the temporary unit will be removed. If the patient does not see a dramatic change in their headaches the patient is not a candidate for the Reed ProcedureSM. If it did work, then the patient moves forward with a permanent stimulator implant scheduled within a couple of weeks from the trial date. With the ability to test the implant neurostimulator, we are highly confident that the permanent stimulator will work effectively on the patient.

Q: What happens during the trial?

The test stimulation shows the patient exactly how a permanent stimulator feels. During the three to seven day trial period, it will be easy for the patient to determine whether or not they feel a difference in the severity of their headaches. The trial is conclusive and has also been proven to work more than 80 percent of the time. Therefore, if the trial works for patients, then the permanent procedure will work and continue to work. When the patient goes home during the trial period, we encourage them to go through normal activities. The wires can be placed beneath the patients clothing, so as not to distract them from going about regular day-to-day activities. The trial pack can be fixed to the belt line, as well. We strongly suggest our patients try to trigger a headache while in the trial period to determine the true effectiveness of the stimulator. For instance, if sunlight normally triggers a patient’s headache, we tell them to go out in the sunlight to test the effectiveness of the stimulator. 

Q: How is the procedure done?

Once the patient completes the trial period and the test stimulator is removed, we once again, review the process of implanting a permanent stimulator. The permanent procedure usually takes places two weeks from the trial phase. The wire leads are placed above the eyebrows and behind the head, but continue to pass through under the skin to wherever the battery is placed. The battery is fairly small, and for technical reasons we usually put the battery in the upper, outer hip region one-inch below the surface of the skin, where a small incision is made. From the battery, four tiny wires pass under the skin, two passing through the patients back to the back of the head and the other two passing over one ear to the upper forehead, just above the eyebrows.

Q: Will it cause physical limitations?

There are commonly no cosmetic side effects. In general, friends and family cannot tell that the patient has a unit implanted. Physical limitations are practically non-existent in our patients. In fact, the exact opposite has been found to be true. Having the unit implanted and no longer having to deal with chronic headaches allows our patients to feel liberated. They can now do things they couldn’t do before like go outside, enjoy physical activity, eat trigger foods that they couldn’t before and can resume their life after having the permanent procedure. 

Q: What are the risks or downsides?

Neurostimulation is a standard, well-accepted treatment that’s been around for a long time. While it involves a relatively small battery under the skin, there are minimal risks or downsides involved. The Reed ProcedureSM is a two-step process, with the trial being the first step. The upside to the trial is very clear, in that if it works, the patient will be very happy with the end result. There’s also no physical downside or limitations that come along with the trial or permanent procedure. It cannot make headaches worse or hurt the nerves. However, one downside is if the patient falls into the twenty percent of those in which the trial does not work. Then, of course, the patient is disappointed. As for the permanent procedure, there is a small risk of infection, much like with any surgical procedure, but it is treatable. 

Q: How can I learn more?

Our website has a lot of helpful information and provides links to other websites with additional resources. We highly recommend watching our video testimonials of patients who have had permanent stimulators implanted. We also list upcoming dates to our free seminars that take place in various cities across the country. At each seminar, we go through a full explanation of the procedure and answer any questions our attendees may have in a very relaxed fashion. We recommend attending one our seminars if you feel you are a candidate for the Reed ProcedureSM.

Q: What is a Patient Ambassador?

A Patient Ambassador is a patient who has undergone the Reed ProcedureSM and can offer insight to other patients who are thinking about both the trial and permanent implant. Our Patient Ambassadors are happy to meet patients and share their own experiences about having gone through the procedure themselves. We encourage any candidates or patients of the Reed ProcedureSM to look into this program and share their story with others.

Q: Can I hear about it from a patient?

Yes. Some of our patients have said they’ve been given their life back after having the neurostimulator implanted and are now stepping outdoors for the first time, spending time with friends and family and are simply overjoyed by the whole process.  While the major focus is our patients no longer have headaches, there are a lot of complementary benefits included, as well. As professionals in pain management, we also find it to be very gratifying to know our patients are now able to experience their life in a brand new way and participate in normal, daily activities they never thought were possible before having the Reed ProcedureSM.