Abstract
Objective
To describe the use of chiropractic rehabilitation, functional assessment methods, and outcome measures in treatment of a single case of chronic recurrent migraine headache.
Clinical Features
A 22-year-old woman had migraine, recurrent duration 2 years. She had no history of trauma and the symptoms persisted despite multiple medical interventions. She had head pain, primarily left frontal retro-orbital, accompanied by nausea and visual aura of “spots” when severe.
Intervention and Outcome
This subject was managed with rehabilitative exercises in combination with chiropractic manipulation. Outcome measures, including the Headache Disability Index, are described.
Conclusion
The chronic recurrent migraine resolved over a 12-week period with use of chiropractic rehabilitation in this patient. More research is necessary to determine whether this approach is consistently reproducible and how it compares with spinal manipulation alone and other forms of treatment. Further investigation of combining rehabilitation with chiropractic manipulation for some migraine patients should be considered.
Key Indexing Terms: Migraine, Headache, Rehabilitation, Chiropractic Manipulation, Cervical Spine, Headache Disability Index
Footnotes
This paper is submitted for publication in partial requirement for Diplomate of American Chiropractic Board of Rehabilitation
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