Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Intervention Activities for People with Migraine: Scoping Review

Migraine management involves a wide range of clinical rehabilitation practices. This variability hampers the clinical applicability of these protocols. Before proposing any recommendations for migraine interventions, one needs to identify how interventions are generally structured. This study aimed to systematically map the activities in multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs for people with migraine.

We conducted a scoping review from January 2002 to April 2024 in MEDLINE®, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, AMED, APA PsycInfo and Academic Search Complete databases. Search terms were related to (i) migraine or headache, (ii) intervention and (iii) multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary care. Language and population inclusion criteria were applied. Two researchers independently screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles and extracted data according to three topics: (i) activities and their modalities, (ii) professionals involved and (iii) tools used.

The activities identified ranged from medication management and a variety of exercise types and lifestyle changes using education strategies to stress management techniques. Psychological interventions were rarely defined and appeared to overlap with education and stress management techniques. Information on treatment delivery was scarce. Professionals from many disciplines were mentioned. The outcomes assessed included migraine or headache characteristics, psychological symptoms, disability and quality of life. No explicit theoretical models were found.

The results highlight the heterogeneity of activities in multidisciplinary interventions for people with migraine. Operationalizing an intervention based on a theoretical model is essential for allowing replications, evaluation and implementation in rehabilitation settings.