Alleviation of migraine symptoms by application of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation to myofascial trigger points of neck and shoulder muscles - A randomized trial.

Migraine is a burdensome disease with an especially high prevalence in women between the age of 15 and 49 years. Non-pharmacological, non-invasive therapeutic methods to control symptoms are increasingly in demand to complement a multimodal intervention approach in migraine. Thirty-seven subjects (age: 25.0 ± 4.1 years; 36 females) diagnosed with high-frequency episodic migraine who presented at least one active myofascial trigger point (mTrP) in the trapezius muscles and at least one latent mTrP in the deltoid muscles bilaterally prospectively underwent six sessions of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) over two weeks. Patients were randomly assigned to receive rPMS applied to the mTrPs of the trapezius (n = 19) or deltoid muscles (n = 18). Whereas the trapezius muscle is supposed to be part of the trigemino-cervical complex (TCC) and, thus, involved in the pathophysiology of migraine, the deltoid muscle was not expected to interfere with the TCC and was therefore chosen as a control stimulation site. The headache calendar of the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG) as well as the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire were used to evaluate stimulation-related effects. Frequency of headache days decreased significantly in both the trapezius and the deltoid group after six sessions of rPMS (trapezius group: p = 0.005; deltoid group: p = 0.003). The MIDAS score decreased significantly from 29 to 13 points (p = 0.0004) in the trapezius and from 31 to 15 points (p = 0.002) in the deltoid group. Thus, rPMS applied to mTrPs of neck and shoulder muscles offers a promising approach to alleviate headache frequency and symptom burden. Future clinical trials are needed to examine more profoundly these effects, preferably using a sham-controlled setting.

Magnetic stimulation of the upper trapezius muscles in patients with migraine - A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) has been applied to musculoskeletal pain conditions. Since recent data show that migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) might be closely related to peripheral muscular pain in the neck and shoulder region (supporting the concept of the trigemino-cervical complex (TCC)), this pilot study explores the acceptance of rPMS to the upper trapezius muscles in migraine (partly in combination with TTH). METHODS: We used rPMS to stimulate active myofascial trigger points (aTrPs) of the upper trapezius muscles in 20 young adults suffering from migraine. Acceptance was assessed by a standardized questionnaire, whereas self-rated effectiveness was evaluated by headache calendars and the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS). Algometry was performed to explore the local effect of rPMS on the muscles. RESULTS: Acceptance of rPMS was shown in all subjects without any adverse events, and rPMS had a statistically significant impact on almost every parameter of the headache calendar and MIDAS. Among others, the number of migraine attacks (p < 0.001) and migraine intensity (p = 0.001) significantly decreased regarding pre- and post-stimulation assessments. Accordingly, 100.0% of subjects would repeat the stimulation, while 90.0% would recommend rPMS as a treatment option for migraine. CONCLUSIONS: rPMS might represent a promising tool to alleviate migraine symptoms within the context of myofascial pain. This might be due to stimulation-dependent modulation of the peripheral sensory effect within the TCC in migraine. However, sham-controlled studies with larger and more homogeneous cohorts are needed to prove a potential beneficial effect. Ethics Committee Registration Numbers: 356-14 and 447/14.