New York: Migraine sufferers who used a Smartphone-based relaxation technique at least twice a week experienced fewer headache days per month, a study has found.
Developed by researchers from the New York University in the US, RELAXaHEAD app, guides patients through progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR. In this form of behavioral therapy, patients alternately relax and tense different muscle groups to reduce stress.
The research, published in the journal, Nature Digital Medicine, is the first to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the app for treating migraine, and adding the app to standard therapies (such as oral medications) under the supervision of a doctor.
“Our study offers evidence that patients may pursue behavioral therapy if it is easily accessible, they can do it on their own time, and it is affordable,” Mia Minen, one of the researchers from NYU said.
Primary symptoms of migraine include moderate to severe head pain that is often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.
Patients who are often prescribed drug treatments and behavioral therapy, do not pursue the therapy even after a doctor’s recommendation because of the expense and inconvenience, said Minen.
“Oftentimes they end up only taking medications,” she said.
To study if an app might increase compliance, the research team analysed over 51 confirmed migraine patients who owned smart phones. Participants were asked to use the app for 90 days and to keep a daily record of the frequency and severity of their headaches, while the app kept track of how long and often patients used PMR.
Study participants, on average, had 13 headache days per month, ranging between four and 31. 39 per cent of patients in the study also reported having anxiety, and 30 per cent, depression.
The researcher, who anticipated a gradual decrease in the use of the app, noted that the, app usage dropped to 51 per cent after six weeks, and to 29 per cent after three months
Their next plan is to identify potential ways to encourage more frequent sessions. They also plan to study the best ways to introduce the app into their clinical practices. According to her, clinicians need to rethink their treatment approach to migraine as a lot of accepted therapies aren’t suitable for all lifestyles.
Minen said that taken as a whole, the study results suggest that accessible Smartphone technologies “can effectively teach patients lifelong skills needed to manage their migraines.”
PTI
