Soma Sahai-Srivastava, MD

After completing her residency at USC, she joined as faculty in the department of Neurology in 2001. Dr Sahai is a board certified, headache specialist (UCNS) and advocates an integrated approach to management of headache disorders. She established the Headache and Neuralgia Center in 2006 and a UCNS certified fellowship program in Headache medicine in 2010. Dr Sahai developed a multidisciplinary team approach to treating refractory headache and face pain, complicated and challenging cases . Her clinical research focuses on migraine, headache disorders and neuromuscular disorders. Dr Sahai has participated in many clinical trials as principal or co-investigator relating to her areas of specialization. She has published numerous articles in scientific journals on topics relating to Headache, Neuropathic pain and neuromuscular diseases. She has a global neuroscience initiative in southeast Asia focused on teaching neurosciences in southeast Asia. She is a also a professional life and executive coach certified by the Seattle Coach Program.

• Navigating migraine care during pregnancy and lactation. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2026 Apr 01; 38(2):78-85.. View in PubMed
• The Chronic Headache Self-Efficacy Scale: Development and assessment of measurement properties. Headache. 2025 Mar; 65(3):460-472.. View in PubMed
• Headache and Facial Pain Medicine. McGraw Hill ( Ed Ashina). Other Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalagias. 2025; 98-106.
• Patient-Centered Treatment of Chronic Migraine With Medication Overuse: A Prospective, Randomized, Pragmatic Clinical Trial. Neurology. 2022 04 05; 98(14):e1409-e1421.. View in PubMed
• Determinants of pain interference and headache impact in patients who have chronic migraine with medication overuse: Results from the MOTS trial. Cephalalgia. 2021 09; 41(10):1053-1064.. View in PubMed
• Headache characteristics and burden from chronic migraine with medication overuse headache: Cross-sectional observations from the Medication Overuse Treatment Strategy trial. Headache. 2021 02; 61(2):351-362.. View in PubMed
• Safety and efficacy of sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation for chronic cluster headache: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Neurol. 2019 12; 18(12):1081-1090.. View in PubMed
• Greater Occipital Nerve Block for the Treatment of Chronic Migraine Headaches: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 10; 144(4):943-952.. View in PubMed
• Experiences of an outpatient infusion center with intravenous magnesium therapy for status migrainosus. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2019 03; 178:31-35.. View in PubMed
• Chronic Headache (Ed Green, Cowan, Freitag). Chronic Cluster. 2019; 77-98.
• Dextromethorphan/Quinidine in Migraine Prophylaxis: An Open-label Observational Clinical Study. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2018 Mar/Apr; 41(2):64-69.. View in PubMed
• Multidisciplinary Team Treatment Approaches to Chronic Daily Headaches. Headache. 2017 Oct; 57(9):1482-1491.. View in PubMed
• Headaches in multiple sclerosis: Cross-sectional study of a multiethnic population. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2016 Apr; 143:71-5.. View in PubMed
• Headaches in multiple sclerosis: Cross-sectional study of a multiethnic population. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. 2016; 143:71-75.
• Pelvic osteomyelitis presenting as groin and medial thigh pain: a resident’s case problem. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Apr; 45(4):306-15.. View in PubMed
• “Skeletal muscle relaxants and antispasticity drugs for orofacial pain disorders.” Orofacial Pain: a guide to medications and management. 2012; 115-118.
• Orofacial Pain: A Guide to Medications and Management. “Headaches with a focus on chronic daily headache medications. 2012; 248.
• Undiagnosed depression and its correlates in a predominantly immigrant Hispanic neurology clinic. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2011 Oct; 113(8):623-5.. View in PubMed
• Occipital neuralgia with and without migraine: difference in pain characteristics and risk factors. Headache. 2011 Jan; 51(1):124-8.. View in PubMed
• Adverse effect profile of lidocaine injections for occipital nerve block in occipital neuralgia. J Headache Pain. 2010 Dec; 11(6):519-23.. View in PubMed
• Analysis of headache management in a busy emergency room in the United States. Headache. 2008 Jun; 48(6):931-8.. View in PubMed
• Cryptogenic stroke in the setting of intravaginal prostaglandin therapy for elective abortion. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2008 May; 110(5):529-31.. View in PubMed
• Brainstem tuberculoma in the immunocompetent: case report and literature review. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2008 Mar; 110(3):302-4.. View in PubMed
• Generalized myasthenia gravis triggered by cataract surgery. J Neuroophthalmol. 2007 Dec; 27(4):311-2.. View in PubMed
• Compressive neuropathies complicating normal childbirth: case report and literature review. Birth. 2007 Jun; 34(2):173-5.. View in PubMed

• Demetriades, Demetrios
• Harrington, Michael
• Cohen-Gadol, Aaron