The Trager approach in the treatment of chronic headache: a pilot study.

CONTEXT: Although the traditional treatment of headache has been pharmacological, there have been many attempts to treat headaches with other methods with mixed levels of success.

OBJECTIVE

To obtain preliminary data on the efficacy of the Trager approach in the treatment of chronic headache.

DESIGN

Small-scale randomized controlled clinical trial.

SETTING

University-based clinic.

PATIENTS: Thirty-three volunteers with a self-reported history of chronic headache with at least one headache per week for at least 6 months.

INTERVENTIONS: Medication only control group, medication and attention control group, and medication and Trager treatment group.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported frequency, duration, and intensity of headache, medication usage and headache quality of life (HQOL) obtained at baseline and after a 6-week treatment period.

RESULTS

Analyses of variance demonstrated significant improvement in HQOL for the Trager and attention control groups, and reduction in medication usage for the Trager group (P < 0.05). Within-group analyses revealed that participants randomized to Trager demonstrated a significant decrease in the frequency of headaches (P = 0.045), improvement in HQOL (P = 0.045), and a 44% decrease in medication usage (P = 0.03). Participants randomized to the attention control group demonstrated a significant improvement in HQOL (P = 0.035) and a 19% decrease in medication usage (P = 0.15). Participants randomized to the no-treatment control group revealed a significant increase in headache duration (P = 0.025) and intensity (P = 0.025), and a declination in HQOL (P = 0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

The Trager approach decreased headache frequency and medication usage. Trager and physician attention improved HQOL. A larger, multi-site study is recommended.