Veterans Affairs: Biofeedback for Migraine/Headache a Useful Tool

A recent study done by Veterans Affairs in the USA has confirmed again the value of biofeedback as a migraine and headache treatment.

We have actually talked about biofeedback here frequently. Biofeedback is a treatment that helps the patient take control of some normally “involuntary” processes in the body, such as heart rate and breathing patterns. Sometimes this is done using technology, other times without.

Veterans Affairs is very interested in the headache field for obvious reasons. But in this case, the research was a little bit wider. They wanted to find out which conditions were effectively treated by biofeedback, according to previous clinical trials. A study like this involves searching for past trials, as well as evaluating whether or not the trials were done properly.

The study found that biofeedback was indeed effective for migraine and headache conditions (more on that in a moment), and also for incontinence (both urinary and fecal). For other conditions there was less evidence, however, that’s at least partly because not many studies have been done for many other conditions.

So what did the researchers find? Biofeedback was effective in treating both tension-type headache and migraine. Specific types of biofeedback were especially effective. EMG (electromyogram) in biofeedback is used for muscle function. Measuring and controlling skin temperature and blood pressure were also helpful for migraine and headache.

Biofeedback decreased frequency, duration, and intensity of attacks – a very encouraging result. Interestingly, the most evidence of all was that it helps with the frequency of headaches. Helping with the headache/migraine attacks themselves, biofeedback also helped fight related issues, such as muscle tension, anxiety, and depression. It also helped decrease medication use.

Biofeedback has always been one of the treatments with the most good evidence behind it. It’s non-invasive and doesn’t involve medication, making it excellent for anyone but an especially valuable choice for children and pregnant women, where more caution is required for many other treatments.

For more information, listen to this Biofeedback for Migraine and Headache podcast. The study abstract is available here: Efficacy of Biofeedback for Medical Conditions: an Evidence Map

For an excellent overview of the study, see Review: Biofeedback could help treat a number of conditions from ScienceDaily.