Intramuscular Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Trigger Points in Patients With Migraine
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Chronic Migraine
In brief
The goal of this single-case experimental study is to investigate the effects of intramuscular electrical stimulation for the treatment of trigger points on reducing the frequency of headaches in a small sample of patients with chronic migraine. Additionally, this study seeks to investigate the effects of intramuscular electrical stimulation to trigger points on reducing the overall headache intensity, impact and disability using research validated questionnaires.Intramuscular electrical stimulation is a treatment that uses needles to deliver electrical current into muscles, or trigger points, for reducing pain and improving function. Trigger points are painful spots within taut bands of muscle that produce pain when pressure is applied or spontaneously. Participants will be included if they have at least a 6-month history of chronic migraine headache. Due to the nature of the single case experimental design study, participants will each serve as their own controls and be randomized to various baseline measures where they will record headaches and symptoms using an electronic headache diary. During the intervention phase, participants will receive dry needling treatment with intramuscular electrical stimulation, and will continue recording in the electronic headache diary and complete all self reported outcome measures at the final treatment session.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT05893914
- Run by
- Thomas W. Perreault, PT
- People needed
- 4
- Starts
- 2023-08-04
- Expected to finish
- 2024-10-07
- Last updated by the study team
- 2025-05-08
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- At least a 6-month history of headaches consistent with a diagnosis of chronic migraine headache according to International Headache Society (IHS) criteria
- Presence of trigger points in at least 2 of the following posterior cervical muscles, ipsilateral to the side of headache, and reproducing headache symptoms upon stimulation within the distribution of headache
- splenius capitis
- splenius cervicis
- semispinalis capitis/cervicis
- cervical multifidi
- obliquus capitis inferior
You may not qualify if…
- Presence of other primary or secondary headache diagnoses, including medication overuse headache
- cervical radiculopathy
- cervical spondylosis or stenosis
- previous surgery in the cervical spine region
- history of whiplash
- pregnancy
- fibromyalgia
- Having received any of the following within the past 12 months
- trigger point injection
- anesthetic blocks
- radiofrequency lesioning
- botulinum toxin injections
- acupuncture
- dry needling
- physical therapy
Where it is running
- Wentworth Douglass Hospital — Dover, New Hampshire, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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