View clinical trials related to Headache Disorders.
Filter by:Therapeutic exercise, including aerobic activity and strength training, has shown promise in treating primary headaches with a moderate effect size, despite limited evidence. Implementation requires specialized professionals, infrastructure, and defined care pathways. These strategies are cost-effective for similar chronic pain conditions. More research is needed to better understand the varying effects on headache frequency, duration, and intensity in larger patient samples.
The pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie primary headache disorders, such as migraine and cluster headache (CH), are complex and not yet fully clarified. While there is today little doubt that activation of the trigeminovascular system (TGVS) is responsible for the headache pain, the primary mechanisms, probably centrally mediated, leading to its activation and the generation of pain are still largely obscure. The trigeminal system is supposed to play a central role not only in migraine but also in cluster headache pathology. In vitro studies have demonstrated the expression of BDNF in trigeminal ganglion neurons. BDNF release is induced by trigeminal stimulation and nociceptive inputs. BDNF is a member of the neurotrophin family and has been recognized as an important modulator of nociceptive pathways. Interestingly, BDNF is co-expressed with CGRP in trigeminal ganglion neurons. CGRP is one of the key molecules in migraine and cluster headache pathogenesis. BDNF is an important marker of neuronal plasticity. It has also been associated with pain processing. Increased BDNF levels are observed in chronic pain syndromes. In order to understand the role of BDNF associated with other factors such as gender on headache attacks we aimed to determine whether migraine and cluster headache is correlated with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level, gender and age.
In this study the investigators hypothesize, that Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) will reduce migraine disability and severity scores when compared to standard of care including prophylactic pharmacological agents with treatment over 12 week time frame. The investigators aim to decrease severity and disability of migraine by utilizing Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy. This would ultimately reduce the utilization of office or emergency department visits, decrease the large economic burden the United States faces for migraine patients as well as improve quality of life for the 3 million chronic migraine patients.