Anything but a shocking solution – the effectiveness of Cefaly® in non-migrainous headache

Abstract

Background: The transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation with the Cefaly® device has demonstrated safety and efficacy for the prevention of episodic migraine. However, there isn't description of its efficacy in other headaches. Case report: A 78-year-old man was seen because of a 55-year history of daily headache. His medical history revealed Parkinson's disease, dyslipidemia and mild cognitive impairment. Physical examination revealed bradykynesia and asymmetric resting tremor of both arms, the right more affected than the left. There was mild pain on palpation of both upper trapezius muscles adjacent to the occipital bone. Cervical spine X-ray, CT and MRI: no findings. Various therapeutic approaches were done, but without success, so it was decided to prescribe Cefaly®. At his three-month follow-up, he reported an improvement of about 80%. Conclusion: The case described here shows that Cefaly® may be effective in headaches other than migraine.