Is craniosacral therapy effective for migraine? Tested with HIT-6 Questionnaire

• Published in: Complementary therapies in clinical practice Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 11 - 14
• Main Authors: Arnadottir, Thuridur Solveig, Sigurdardottir, Arun K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2013
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Craniosacral therapy; Cross-Over Studies; Female; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Massage; Medical Education; Middle Aged; Migraine; Migraine Disorders - therapy; Nursing; Randomized controlled study; Short-Form Headache Impact Test (HIT-6); Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult; Randomized controlled study; Craniosacral therapy; Migraine; Short-Form Headache Impact Test (HIT-6)
• ISSN: 1744-3881; 1873-6947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.09.003

Abstract Objective To determine whether or not craniosacral therapy alleviates migraine symptoms. Methods A cross-over experimental design was used with twenty participants, aged between 20 and 50 years, who suffered from at least two migraine attacks per month. Participants were randomly assigned to two equal-sized groups, A and B. All received six craniosacral treatments over four weeks and the groups answered the “HIT-6” Questionnaire four times; every four weeks (Times 1, 2, 3 and 4). Group A, received treatment after answering the questionnaire the first time, but Group B, answered the questionnaire twice before receiving treatment. Results Immediately after treatments and one month afterwards there was significant lowering in HIT-6 scorings compared with prior to treatment. There was also significant difference in HIT-6 scorings between Times 1 and 4 ( p  = 0.004). The effect size was 0.43–0.55. Conclusion The results indicate that craniosacral treatment can alleviate migraine symptoms. Further research is suggested.