Research Findings on Smartphone-delivered PMR for Migraine

According to recent research findings, published in the Headache, Smartphone-delivered PMR may be an acceptable, accessible form of therapy for migraine.

As the rates of migraine are on the rise, people are opting for scalable, accessible forms of behavioral therapy for migraine prevention. A growing body of evidence has focused on the fact that music therapy has been proven beneficial for migraine patients.

Keeping this in mind, researchers assessed the feasibility and acceptability of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) delivered by a smartphone application (app) in the primary care setting.

This pilot study was a non-blinded, randomized, parallel-arm controlled trial of adults with migraine and 4+ headache days/month. Eligible participants spoke English and owned a smartphone. All participants were given the RELAXaHEAD app, which includes an electronic headache diary. Participants were randomized to receive one of the two versions of the app—one with PMR and the other without PMR. The primary outcomes were measures of feasibility (adherence to the intervention and diary entries during the 90-day interval) and acceptability (satisfaction levels).

The team conducted exploratory analyses to determine whether there was a change in Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS) scores or a change in headache days.

Data analysis revealed the following facts:

• Of 139 participants (77 PMR, 62 control), 116 (83%) were female, mean age was 41.7 ± 12.8 years. Most patients 108/139 (78%) had moderate-severe disability.
• Using a 1-5 Likert scale, participants found the app easy to use (mean 4.2 ± 0.7) and stated that they would be happy to engage in the PMR intervention again (mean 4.3 ± 0.6). For the first 6 weeks, participants practiced PMR 2-4 days/week.
• Mean per session duration was 11.1 ± 8.3 minutes. Relative to the diary-only group, the PMR group showed a greater non-significant decline in mean MIDAS scores (-8.7 vs -22.7, P = .100) corresponding to a small-moderate mean effect size (Cohen's d = 0.38).

For the full article, follow the link: 10.1111/head.14010

Primary source: Headache