Effects of kinesiotaping combined with physical therapy in patients with migraine-associated neck pain: a randomized...

To investigate the effects of kinesiotaping (KT) combined with physical therapy (PT) on pain severity and frequency, pressure pain threshold (PPT), disability, and quality of life (QoL) in migraine patients with neck pain, in addition to pharmacologic treatment.

Sixty patients with migraine were randomly allocated to the three groups and received PT for 6 weeks (12 sessions, including cervical exercises and mobilizations): treatment group (TG; n = 20), placebo group (PG; n = 20), and control group (CG; n = 20). KT in TG and sham taping in PG were administered during each session. Headache frequency, pain severity (VAS-headache, VAS-neck pain), PPT, neck disability, and QoL were evaluated at baseline and posttreatment.

The TG showed a clinically significant improvement in headache intensity (η2 = 0.432, p = 0.003), neck pain severity (η2 = 0.437, p < 0.001), and neck disability (η2 = 0.427, p = 0.005). Additionally, there was a significant increase in PPT for the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of headache frequency. Improvements were also observed in bodily pain and general health in QoL (p < 0.05).

The findings suggest that KT combined with PT and pharmacological treatment significantly improves clinical outcomes in migraineurs with neck pain. Specifically, the TG demonstrated greater reductions in intensity of headache and neck pain, along with increases in PPT and improvements in disability and QoL compared to both groups. These results can support the potential effectiveness of a combined treatment approach targeting both cervical musculoskeletal dysfunction and migraine symptoms. Nevertheless, further studies with longer follow-up periods are required to confirm of these benefits.

ClinicalTrials.Gov (NCT04185714), Date of Registration: 25/11/2019.