The Safety and Feasibility of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Cervicogenic Headaches
Date
2024-06-24
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Abstract
Cervicogenic headaches (CGH) are a highly debilitating condition whereby individuals primarily experience neck pain, headaches, and impaired neck function. Onset occurs frequently after whiplash injury, concussion, and degeneration of the cervical joints. Although therapies such as pharmacotherapy and exercise provide relief to some patients suffering from CGH, many patients do not find benefit from these interventions alone. Neuromodulation therapies such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have recently shown promise in other headache and pain conditions. As such, we designed a double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized trial to consider the safety and feasibility of tDCS combined with exercise therapy (ET) for patients with chronic CGH. Secondarily, we sought to explore the efficacy of active tDCS/+ET compared to sham tDCS/+ET on outcomes evaluating headache, pain, quality of life, and neck function. We found this intervention to be both safe and feasible for individuals with CGH, demonstrating high recruitment, retention, and adherence as well as no serious adverse events. Furthermore, we found significant group-time interactions favouring the active tDCS/+ET group with respect to headache intensity and frequency as well as pain and fine motor control of the deep cervical flexors. From these findings, a larger, adequately powered, clinical trial is warranted.
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Keywords
Neuromodulation, Chronic Pain, Cervicogenic Headache, Exercise Therapy, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Neck Strengthening Program
Citation
Jobin, K. D. (2024). The safety and feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of chronic cervicogenic headaches (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.