Efficacy of Fascia Exercises in Migraine Patients

Migraine, which is characterized by attacks and many accompanying symptoms, negatively affects the quality of life of patients. Although different methods have been tried for migraine, there is no definitive treatment approach yet. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of fascia exercises as a new approach on the symptoms and complaints of migraine patients.

The study was completed with 30 volunteer migraine patients. Participants were divided into two groups in a randomized controlled manner. While head-neck and breathing exercises were applied to the control group, fascial pattern exercises were performed in the study group in addition to these exercises. This protocol was applied 2 days a week for 6 weeks. Pain intensity, quality of life and sleep, heart rate changes, depression and anxiety levels and satisfaction levels were evaluated before and after the treatment.

Demographic and descriptive characteristics of the participants were similar (p>0.05). In both groups, the number of attacks, duration of attacks, pain intensity, migraine-related disability and anxiety levels decreased and sleep quality improved after treatment (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in heart rate change parameters within and between the groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of treatment efficacy (p>0.05). Patient satisfaction was higher in the fascia exercises group (p<0.05).

Fascial pattern exercises are an effective approach on the symptoms and complaints of migraine patients and can be adopted as a complementary application in migraine treatment. Since this is the first study in this field, it needs to be supported by other studies in order to increase the provability of the effectiveness of the exercises.

Inclusion criteria

• having a diagnosis of migraine for at least one year
• between the ages of 18-65 years,
• having migraine attacks at least 5 days a month,
• having a history of migraine starting under the age of 50,
• giving informed written consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• headache due to organic or secondary causes (history of subarachnoid or cerebral hemorrhage, hypertension, cerebral embolism or thrombosis),
• receiving acupuncture treatment in the last 6 months,
• history of bleeding diathesis or receiving anticoagulant treatment,
• being pregnant or lactating,
• history of malignancy,
• having a diagnosis of depression or receiving antidepressant treatment,
• caffeine consumption in the last 4 hours,
• tobacco use in the last 48 hours,
• drug and alcohol use in the last week,
• eating within 2 hours prior to the test,
• being unable to move independently,
• having an uncontrolled medical condition,
• chronic cardiovascular disease,
• recent surgery,
• symptoms of somatic dysfunction,
• musculoskeletal injuries,
• any medication that interferes with the autonomic nervous system or immune system (e.g., beta blockers, steroids, or TNF-a inhibitors)
• any medical condition that affects the autonomic nervous system or immune system