A Systematic Review of Behavioral Headache Interventions With an Aerobic Exercise Component

Efficacy and feasibility of a 12-week Tai Chi training for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine in Hong Kong Chinese women: A randomized controlled trial

Background

Tai Chi has been broadly applied as alternative treatment for many neurological and psychological disorders. Whereas no study using Tai Chi as prophylactic treatment for migraine. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily examine the efficacy and feasibility of a 12-week Tai Chi training on migraine attack prevention in a sample of Chinese women.

Methods

A two-arm randomized controlled trial was designed. Women aged 18 to 65 years and diagnosed with episodic migraine were randomized to either Tai Chi group (TC group) or the waiting list control group. A modified 33-short form Yang-style Tai Chi training with 1 h per day, 5 days per week for 12 weeks was implemented in the TC group, with a 12-week follow up period. The control group received a "delayed" Tai Chi training at the end of the trial. The primary outcome was the differences in attack frequency between 4 weeks before baseline and at the 9-12 weeks after randomization. The intensity and duration of headache were also measured. The feasibility was evaluated by the maintenance of Tai Chi practice and satisfactory level of the participants toward training.

Results

Eighty-two women were randomized, finally 40 in TC group and 33 in control group were involved in the analysis. On average, women in TC group had 3.0 times (95% CI: -4.0 to -2.0, P < 0.01) and 3.6 days (95% CI: -4.7 to -2.5, P < 0.01) reduction of migraine attack per month. Compared with the control group, the differences were statistically significant (-3.7 attacks/month, 95% CI: -5.4 to -1.9; and -3.0 migraine days/month, 95% CI: -4.5 to -1.5; both P < 0.001). The intensity and duration of headache had 0.6 (95% CI: -1.2 to -0.0, P < 0.05) units and 1.2 (IQR: -5.0 to 1.1, P < 0.05) hours reduction in TC group, respectively. Most of the participants (69.2%-97.4%) were satisfied with the training. At the end of 24 weeks, on average, the participants maintained 1.5 times of practice per week and 20 min for each practice.

Conclusion

The 12-week Tai Chi training significantly decreased the frequency of migraine attack. It was acceptable and practicable among female migraineurs.

Clinical trial registration

www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03015753.

Exercise and Manual Therapy for the Treatment of Primary Headache: An Umbrella and Mapping Review

OBJECTIVE

The main aim of this study was to assess through systematic review the efficacy of exercise and manual therapy (MT) interventions in individuals with primary headache.

METHODS

In this umbrella review, 2 authors reviewed systematic reviews by searching the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, PEDro, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Systematic reviews that evaluated the effectiveness of MT. Exercise-based interventions, or both in patients with primary headaches were included. Methodological quality was analyzed using the ROBIS scale, and the strength of evidence was established according to the Grading Criteria of the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee.

RESULTS

Thirty-one systematic reviews containing 79 trials and involving 9103 patients were included. The 7 exercise-related systematic reviews reported beneficial effects on primary headache based on unclear to moderate evidence. Of the 23 MT-related systematic reviews, 11 reported enhanced effectiveness compared with usual care; however, overall heterogeneity and risk of bias were high. Systematic reviews that evaluated the effectiveness of MT, exercise-based interventions, or both in patients with primary headaches were included.

CONCLUSION

Results show that exercise could be an effective therapy for the treatment of primary headache, with moderate to limited quality of evidence regarding the positive effects in terms of pain intensity and frequency and duration of headache. Moderate quality of evidence was found regarding the ability of MT to reduce pain intensity in patients with tension-type headaches, but quality of evidence was limited in terms of frequency of headache and disability and pain reduction in patients with migraine.

IMPACT

Exercise could be an effective treatment in patients with primary headache. Manual therapy showed limited evidence to reduce pain intensity in patients with tension-type headache. It is not possible to establish a preferential exercise protocol or MT program, so psychosocial and behavioral variables need to be considered in future studies.

Effectiveness of Hands-Off Therapy in the Management of Primary Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A number of hands-off therapies have been widely reported and are used in the management of headache. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess evidence supporting these therapies on selected headache outcomes. A systematic literature search for randomized clinical trials reporting on the effects of hands-off therapies for headache was performed in two electronic databases; PubMed and Web of Science (PROSPERO: CRD42018093559). Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager v5.4. Thirty-five studies, including 3,403 patients with migraine, tension-type or chronic headaches were included in the review. Methodological quality of the studies ranged from poor to good. Result-synthesis revealed moderate evidence for aerobic exercises, relaxation training and pain education for reducing pain intensity and disability. Other hands-off interventions were either weak or limited in evidence. Meta-analysis of 22 studies indicated that the effect of hands-off therapies significantly differed from one another for pain intensity, disability and quality of life (p < 0.05). Relaxation training, aerobic and active/stretching exercises had significant effect on pain intensity and disability (p < 0.05). To conclude, few hands-off therapies were effective on selected headache outcomes. Evidence to support other hands-off therapies is limited by paucity of studies.

From research to clinical practice: a systematic review of the implementation of psychological interventions for chronic headache in adults

BACKGROUND

Psychological interventions have been proved to be effective in chronic headache (CH) in adults. Nevertheless, no data exist about their actual implementation into standard clinical settings. We aimed at critically depicting the current application of psychological interventions for CH into standard care exploring barriers and facilitators to their implementation. Secondarily, main outcomes of the most recent psychological interventions for CH in adults have been summarized.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review through PubMed and PsycINFO in the time range 2008-2018. A quality analysis according to the QATSDD tool and a narrative synthesis were performed. We integrated results by: contacting the corresponding author of each paper; exploring the website of the clinical centers cited in the papers.

RESULTS

Of the 938 identified studies, 28 papers were selected, whose quality largely varied with an average %QATSDD quality score of 64.88%. Interventions included CBT (42.85%), multi-disciplinary treatments (22.43%), relaxation training (17.86%), biofeedback (7.14%), or other interventions (10.72%). Treatments duration (1 day-9 months) and intensity varied, with a prevalence of individual-basis implementation. The majority of the studies focused on all primary headaches; 4 studies focused on medication-overuse headache. Most of the studies suggest interventions as effective, with the reduction in frequency of attacks as the most reported outcome (46.43%). Studies were distributed in different countries, with a prevalent and balanced distribution in USA and Europe. Ten researches (35.71%) were performed in academic contexts, 11 (39.28%) in clinical settings, 7 (25%) in pain/headache centres. Interventions providers were professionals with certified experience. Most of the studies were funded with private or public funding. Two contacted authors answered to our e-mail survey, with only one intervention implemented in the routine clinical practice. Only in three out of the 16 available websites a reference to the implementation into the clinical setting was reported.

CONCLUSION

Analysis of contextual barriers/facilitators and cost-effectiveness should be included in future studies, and contents regarding dissemination/implementation of interventions should be incorporated in the professional training of clinical scientists. This can help in filling the gap between the existing published research and treatments actually offered to people with CH.

The Role of Positive Health Behaviors in the Relationship Between Early Life Stress and Migraine

BACKGROUND

The use of diet and physical activity in alleviating the burden of migraine is unclear, therefore, more scientific study on the role of positive health behaviors in migraine management is needed.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential moderating influence of positive health behaviors on the early life stress-migraine relationship in a sample of the Canadian adult population.

METHODS

This study used data from the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Annual Component, a National cross-sectional survey. Adults ≥18 years of age residing in British Columbia were surveyed about stressors experienced as children/teenagers (eg, parental divorce and substance abuse exposure). Migraine was self-report of health-professional diagnosis. Positive health behaviors were measured using an index of transportation and leisure time physical activity, and self-reported frequency of vegetable and fruit consumption. Population survey weights were employed throughout and analytic models were adjusted for known confounders (n_unweighted  = 11,910).

RESULTS

The weighted prevalence of migraine was 9.7% (95% CI: 9.1%, 10.2%). Odds of migraine increased as number of stressors increased: 1 early life stressor (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.39), and ≥ 2 early life stressors (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.76), compared to no stress. There was evidence of effect modification by physical activity (χ² (4) = 16.02, P < .001). The association between 1 early life stressor and migraine was lower for those who were physically active (moderately active: OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.61; active: OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.61, 1.11). This difference was not apparent for those who experienced 2 or more early life stressors (moderately active: OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.28, 2.17; active: OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.99). Across all levels of early life stress, physically active respondents had lower odds of migraine than moderately active respondents. There was no effect modification by vegetable, fruit, and total fruit/vegetable consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Stressors experienced early in life are associated with migraine, and physical activity may ameliorate this relationship, particularly for those with exposure to a minimal level of early life stress. A higher dose of physical activity may yield greater benefit than a less intensive dose (ie, moderate activity level). However, the cross-sectional nature of this study precludes us from inferring causality, and future investigation requires prospectively collected data.

Exploring Natural Clusters of Chronic Migraine Phenotypes: A Cross-Sectional Clinical Study

Heterogeneity in chronic migraine (CM) presents significant challenge for diagnosis, management, and clinical trials. To explore naturally occurring clusters of CM, we utilized data reduction methods on migraine-related clinical dataset. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering and principal component analyses (PCA) were conducted to identify natural clusters in 100 CM patients using 14 migraine-related clinical variables. Three major clusters were identified. Cluster I (29 patients) - the severely impacted patient featured highest levels of depression and migraine-related disability. Cluster II (28 patients) - the minimally impacted patient exhibited highest levels of self-efficacy and exercise. Cluster III (43 patients) - the moderately impacted patient showed features ranging between Cluster I and II. The first 5 principal components (PC) of the PCA explained 65% of variability. The first PC (eigenvalue 4.2) showed one major pattern of clinical features positively loaded by migraine-related disability, depression, poor sleep quality, somatic symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder, being overweight and negatively loaded by pain self-efficacy and exercise levels. CM patients can be classified into three naturally-occurring clusters. Patients with high self-efficacy and exercise levels had lower migraine-related disability, depression, sleep quality, and somatic symptoms. These results may ultimately inform different management strategies.

Complementary and Integrative Health Treatments for Migraine

BACKGROUND

Migraine is a chronic disabling neurologic condition that can be treated with a combination of both pharmacologic and complementary and integrative health options.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

With the growing interest in the US population in the use of nonpharmacologic treatments, we reviewed the evidence for supplements and behavioral interventions used for migraine prevention.

RESULTS

Supplements reviewed included vitamins, minerals, and certain herbal preparations. Behavioral interventions reviewed included cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, relaxation, the third-wave therapies, acupuncture, hypnosis, and aerobic exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

This article should provide an appreciation for the wide range of nonpharmacologic therapies that might be offered to patients in place of or in addition to migraine-preventive medications.

Cardiovascular fitness and risk of migraine: a large, prospective population-based study of Swedish young adult men

OBJECTIVES

To examine the longitudinal relationship between cardiovascular fitness in young adult men and future risk of migraine and to estimate eventual differential effects among categories of body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

DESIGN

National, prospective, population-based cohort study.

SETTING

Sweden 1968-2014.

PARTICIPANTS

18-year-old Swedish men (n=1 819 828) who underwent mandatory military conscription examinations during the years 1968-2005.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES

The primary outcome was the first dispensation of prescribed migraine-specific medication, identified using the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. The secondary outcome was documented migraine diagnosis from the Swedish National Hospital Register.

RESULTS

During follow-up, 22 533 men filled a prescription for migraine-specific medication. After confounding adjustment, compared with high cardiovascular fitness, low and medium fitness increased the risk of migraine-specific medication (risk ratio (RR)_low: 1.29, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.35; population attributable fraction: 3.6%, 95% CI 1.7% to 5.3% and RR_medium: 1.15, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.19; population attributable fraction: 8.0%, 95% CI 4.0% to 11.7%). To assess potential effect measure modification, stratified analyses of these association by levels of BMI and blood pressure showed that lower fitness levels increased risk of migraine across all groups except among underweight men or men with high diastolic blood pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

Young men with a lower cardiovascular fitness had a higher long-term risk of developing pharmacological prescription-requiring migraine. This study contributes with information regarding risk factors for migraine in men, an understudied population in migraine research.

Preventive Therapy of Migraine

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews the preventive therapy of migraine, including indications, strategies for use, and available treatments.

RECENT FINDINGS

Lifestyle modifications and migraine trigger avoidance are recommended as preventive measures for all individuals with migraine. The decision to recommend additional migraine preventive therapy should consider the frequency of migraine attacks and headaches, extent of migraine-associated disability, frequency of using acute migraine treatments and the responsiveness to such treatments, and patient preferences. Additional therapies include prescription medications, nutraceuticals, neurostimulation, and behavioral therapy. Considering evidence for efficacy and the risk of potential side effects and adverse events, treatments with the most favorable profiles include (in alphabetical order): amitriptyline, beta-blockers (several), biofeedback, candesartan, coenzyme Q10, cognitive-behavioral therapy, magnesium citrate, onabotulinumtoxinA (for chronic migraine only), relaxation therapy, riboflavin, and topiramate. In addition, erenumab, a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor monoclonal antibody, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of migraine in May 2018.

SUMMARY

Successful migraine preventive therapy reduces the frequency and burden of attacks while causing limited side effects. Individual treatment recommendations are determined based upon evidence for efficacy, side effect and adverse event profiles, medication interactions, patient comorbidity, costs, and patient preferences. Patients must be counseled on reasonable expectations for their preventive therapy and the importance of adhering to the recommended treatment plan for a period of time that is sufficient to determine outcomes.

Treatment of migraine attacks and prevention of migraine: Guidelines by the German Migraine and Headache Society and the German Society of Neurology

In collaboration with some of the leading headache centres in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, we have established new guidelines for the treatment of migraine attacks and the prevention of migraine. A thorough literature research of the last 10 years has been the basis of the current recommendations. At the beginning, we present therapeutic novelties, followed by a summary of all recommendations. After an introduction, we cover topics like drug therapy and practical experience, non-effective medication, migraine prevention, interventional methods, non-medicational and psychological methods for prevention and therapies without proof of efficacy.

Potential Mechanisms Underlying Centralized Pain and Emerging Therapeutic Interventions

Centralized pain syndromes are associated with changes within the central nervous system that amplify peripheral input and/or generate the perception of pain in the absence of a noxious stimulus. Examples of idiopathic functional disorders that are often categorized as centralized pain syndromes include fibromyalgia, chronic pelvic pain syndromes, migraine, and temporomandibular disorder. Patients often suffer from widespread pain, associated with more than one specific syndrome, and report fatigue, mood and sleep disturbances, and poor quality of life. The high degree of symptom comorbidity and a lack of definitive underlying etiology make these syndromes notoriously difficult to treat. The main purpose of this review article is to discuss potential mechanisms of centrally-driven pain amplification and how they may contribute to increased comorbidity, poorer pain outcomes, and decreased quality of life in patients diagnosed with centralized pain syndromes, as well as discuss emerging non-pharmacological therapies that improve symptomology associated with these syndromes. Abnormal regulation and output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is commonly associated with centralized pain disorders. The HPA axis is the primary stress response system and its activation results in downstream production of cortisol and a dampening of the immune response. Patients with centralized pain syndromes often present with hyper- or hypocortisolism and evidence of altered downstream signaling from the HPA axis including increased Mast cell (MC) infiltration and activation, which can lead to sensitization of nearby nociceptive afferents. Increased peripheral input via nociceptor activation can lead to “hyperalgesic priming” and/or “wind-up” and eventually to central sensitization through long term potentiation in the central nervous system. Other evidence of central modifications has been observed through brain imaging studies of functional connectivity and magnetic resonance spectroscopy and are shown to contribute to the widespreadness of pain and poor mood in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic urological pain. Non-pharmacological therapeutics, including exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), have shown great promise in treating symptoms of centralized pain.

An update on behavioral treatments in migraine - current knowledge and future options

INTRODUCTION

Besides pharmacological and interventional treatments a variety of non-medical therapeutic options exist for migraine, which has largely been derived from behavioral therapy. Areas covered: For our update we collected available studies via PubMed searches. This review highlights that already consulting of the patient is able to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. Relaxation techniques, especially progressive muscle relaxation, and various types of biofeedback are effective, as is the implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy. However, recent reviews also point to some existing inconsistencies and methodological limitations. The advent of modern information technology based approaches (e.g. online therapy, smartphone applications) further advanced the arsenal of behavioral treatment regimes. The combination of behavioral treatment options and the combination with pharmacotherapy lead to additive effects. In modern multidisciplinary treatment approaches, behavioral therapy is an indispensable component. Expert commentary: Behavioral treatment in prophylaxis of migraine is as effective as pharmacological treatment with additional effects when pharmacological and behavioral treatment is applied in combination. Novel treatment approaches using online technology and electronic devices offer interesting options that will spread more in the future.

Non-pharmacological self-management for people living with migraine or tension-type headache: a systematic review including analysis of intervention components

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effect of non-pharmacological self-management interventions against usual care, and to explore different components and delivery methods within those interventions PARTICIPANTS: People living with migraine and/or tension-type headache INTERVENTIONS: Non-pharmacological educational or psychological self-management interventions; excluding biofeedback and physical therapy.We assessed the overall effectiveness against usual care on headache frequency, pain intensity, mood, headache-related disability, quality of life and medication consumption in meta-analysis.We also provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of intervention components and delivery methods.

RESULTS

We found a small overall effect for the superiority of self-management interventions over usual care, with a standardised mean difference (SMD) of -0.36 (-0.45 to -0.26) for pain intensity; -0.32 (-0.42 to -0.22) for headache-related disability, 0.32 (0.20 to 0.45) for quality of life and a moderate effect on mood (SMD=0.53 (-0.66 to -0.40)). We did not find an effect on headache frequency (SMD=-0.07 (-0.22 to 0.08)).Assessment of components and characteristics suggests a larger effect on pain intensity in interventions that included explicit educational components (-0.51 (-0.68 to -0.34) vs -0.28 (-0.40 to -0.16)); mindfulness components (-0.50 (-0.82 to -0.18) vs 0.34 (-0.44 to -0.24)) and in interventions delivered in groups vs one-to-one delivery (0.56 (-0.72 to -0.40) vs -0.39 (-0.52 to -0.27)) and larger effects on mood in interventions including a cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) component with an SMD of -0.72 (-0.93 to -0.51) compared with those without CBT -0.41 (-0.58 to -0.24).

CONCLUSION

Overall we found that self-management interventions for migraine and tension-type headache are more effective than usual care in reducing pain intensity, mood and headache-related disability, but have no effect on headache frequency. Preliminary findings also suggest that including CBT, mindfulness and educational components in interventions, and delivery in groups may increase effectiveness.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO 2016:CRD42016041291.

Aerobic Exercise for Reducing Migraine Burden: Mechanisms, Markers, and Models of Change Processes

BACKGROUND

Engagement in regular exercise routinely is recommended as an intervention for managing and preventing migraine, and yet empirical support is far from definitive. We possess at best a weak understanding of how aerobic exercise and resulting change in aerobic capacity influence migraine, let alone the optimal parameters for exercise regimens as migraine therapy (eg, who will benefit, when to prescribe, optimal types, and doses/intensities of exercise, level of anticipated benefit). These fundamental knowledge gaps critically limit our capacity to deploy exercise as an intervention for migraine.

OVERVIEW

Clear articulation of the markers and mechanisms through which aerobic exercise confers benefits for migraine would prove invaluable and could yield insights on migraine pathophysiology. Neurovascular and neuroinflammatory pathways, including an effect on obesity or adiposity, are obvious candidates for study given their role both in migraine as well as the changes known to accrue with regular exercise. In addition to these biological pathways, improvements in aerobic fitness and migraine alike also are mediated by changes in psychological and sociocognitive factors. Indeed a number of specific mechanisms and pathways likely are operational in the relationship between exercise and migraine improvement, and it remains to be established whether these pathways operate in parallel or synergistically. As heuristics that might conceptually benefit our research programs here forward, we: (1) provide an extensive listing of potential mechanisms and markers that could account for the effects of aerobic exercise on migraine and are worthy of empirical exploration and (2) present two exemplar conceptual models depicting pathways through which exercise may serve to reduce the burden of migraine.

CONCLUSION

Should the promise of aerobic exercise as a feasible and effective migraine therapy be realized, this line of endeavor stands to benefit migraineurs (including the many who presently remain suboptimally treated) by providing a new therapeutic avenue as an alternative or augmentative compliment to established interventions for migraine.