Transcutaneous Supraorbital Stimulation as a Preventive Treatment for Chronic Migraine: A Prospective, Open-Label Study

Alleviation of migraine symptoms by application of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation to myofascial trigger points of neck and shoulder muscles – A randomized trial

“…In comparison, rPMS led to a clearer decrease depending on the stimulated muscle, which probably points to a considerably higher improvement in the QoL. In this context, the side effects of rPMS tend to be less severe than those reported for VNS and SONS and, consequently, might result in higher acceptance of rPMS and better satisfaction 39,43,45 .…”

“…Despite these promising first results focusing on the peripheral part of the TCC, further insights into rPMS and its central effects for intervention in migraine are lacking. Comparing rPMS to the latest investigations of other available neuromodulative techniques for intervention in migraine, the reduction of migraine attacks and days suffering from headache are generally in a comparable range 33,36,39,43 . In the ESPOUSE study, single-pulse TMS was applied to the occiput by the study participants twice a day during three months as a prophylactic treatment and also as an acute intervention during any migraine attack occurring in this period of time 33 .…”

“…In comparison, tDCS applied to the area corresponding to the M1 in the dominant hemisphere ten times during three to five weeks led to a decrease of 3.0 days with headache per month 36 . Furthermore, SONS was applied to the center of the forehead by participants once a day over three months, being capable of reducing headache frequency by 2.8 days per month 39 . Participants deploying VNS three times a day for twelve weeks experienced a decline of 2.3 days with headache per month 43 .…”

“…Central modulation in migraineurs can be reached by different invasive and non-invasive techniques [26][27][28][29] . Promising examples include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) [30][31][32][33] , transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) [34][35][36] , supra-orbital nerve stimulation (SONS) [37][38][39] , and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) [40][41][42][43] . In addition, repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) has been introduced recently as a novel method to stimulate the upper trapezius muscles in subjects with migraine, with its application being feasible, well-tolerated, and mostly free of any adverse effects among migraineurs 44 .…”

Update of Neuromodulation in Chronic Migraine

“…The per-protocol (PP) analysis included 21 subjects, while intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis included 24 patients with the exclusion of one patient. In the PP analysis, there was a mean reduction in headache days (−2.43 days, p = 0.05) and moderate to severe headache (−1.29 days, p = 0.06), while in ITT analysis, there was a non-significant mean reduction in headache days (−1.92 days, p = 0.08) and moderate to severe headache days (−1.20 days, p = 0.05) [12]. Among 2000 patients surveyed, there was less than 5% reporting of adverse events, all minor and fully reversible.…”