Effect of Physiotherapeutic Intervention on Migraine Carriers Treated at the Physiotherapy School Clinic From the State University of Paraiba

Abstract

Introduction

Headache is an example of chronic pain that substantially interferes with quality of life and is one of the most important causes of lost work days and health service costs. Migraine is considered a primary headache, characterized by intermittent attacks of unilateral pulsating pain, associated with nausea and intolerance to light/noise/smells. As it is a highly prevalent, disabling disease with a high potential for chronicity, it is crucial to seek effective treatments for the attacks. It is therefore important to introduce alternative treatments, such as physiotherapy with manual therapy techniques, which have been used to treat chronic pain resulting from different conditions, with effective results in improving pain parameters.

Objective

Analyze the effect of physiotherapeutic intervention in individuals with chronic migraine on the intensity, frequency of pain and use of analgesics; Describe the physiotherapeutic treatment protocol used in patients with chronic migraine treated at the headache clinic at the Physiotherapy School of the State University of Paraíba, Campus I, UEPB.

Case report

This was a case series study of patients aged between 18 and 64, the vast majority of whom were female. The initial assessment was carried out by a neurologist with an anamnesis, clinical and neurological examination, followed by a physiotherapy assessment by physiotherapy students from UEPB, with emphasis on the physical examination of the patients. Based on the diagnosis of chronic migraine-type headache, these patients underwent physiotherapy treatment and were instructed to fill in a headache diary for a period of 31 days, collecting information on the frequency, intensity of the pain, use of medication and the nature of the pain. They underwent treatment involving the techniques of pompage, dry needling, the Busquet method and myofascial massage for three months, in weekly sessions and with a frequency of three appointments per week.

Conclusion

Migraine without aura was the most prevalent in the sample, accounting for 87.5% of cases. All the participants had undergone some kind of previous treatment for headache and 65.62% of the patients did not associate physiotherapy treatment with medication. With regard to headache duration, 25% of the patients reported that they had had migraine episodes for approximately 10 years. The data showed that there was a reduction in the frequency of crises after the intervention, demonstrating the effectiveness of the physiotherapeutic techniques applied to the group.

Palavras-chave: Migraine;Treatment;Physiotherapy.