Manual therapy for chronic migraine: a randomized clinical trialAbstract
Introduction: Chronic migraine is a common neurological condition, especially among women, and significantly affects quality of life and productivity. Although pharmacological treatment is the main strategy, its limited effectiveness and adverse effects justify the search for complementary approaches such as manual therapy (MT).
Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of MT on pain intensity, frequency of episodes, disability, self-efficacy, sleep quality, and quality of life in adults with chronic migraine.
Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed with 40 adults with chronic migraine. Participants were randomly allocated to a control group (CG; n = 20) or a manual therapy group (MTG; n = 20). The MTG received ten MT sessions, once a week for 12 weeks. Both groups continued the use of pharmacological treatment. The choice of MT was based on its potential to modulate pain and improve musculoskeletal function. Outcome measures included: HIT-6, MIDAS, PSQI-BR, SF-36, and HMSE-10.
Results: Mean age was 36.7 ± 10.2 years. The intervention was associated with a significant improvement in the total HIT-6 score (p = 0.014) and in the domains of physical limitations (p = 0.02) and general health status (p = 0.03) of the SF-36. The proportion of participants with severe disabilities was 57.1% in the CG and 21.4% in the MTG (p < 0.05). The median cervical flexion was −10.0° in the CG and 5.0° in the MTG (p = 0.005).
Conclusion: MT associated with pharmacological treatment demonstrated positive outcomes and may be an effective approach for managing chronic migraine.
Keywords:
Migraine disorders; Manual therapy; Self-efficacy; Quality of life