MIND & BODY -- YOUR HEALTH

LOS ANGELES - Taking pills might not be the only way to cut down on chronic headaches, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. A massage-like movement therapy called the Trager approach might work even better.

Writing in the most recent issue of the journal Alternative Therapies, the USC multidisciplinary team reports findings from a clinical pilot study comparing three headache-treatment approaches. The 33 patients in the study either received only medication, medication combined with regular medical attention, or medication combined with regular Trager sessions.

“We found that both Trager and the medical attention groups fared better than the `hand-them-the-medication' group,” says Stanley Azen, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School and senior author on the study. “Participants in the Trager group were able to reduce the amount of medication they took, and had fewer headaches.”

A headache happens when pain-sensitive nerve fibers are triggered in the web of nerves that extends over the scalp and face and along the surface and the base of the brain. Nine of 10 headaches are triggered by stress or tension, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Knowing that strategies such as spinal manipulation and physical therapy have shown some benefit in easing headaches, and that Trager has been shown to help ease joint pain, researchers at the Keck School decided to test the Trager approach on headaches. Trager is a gentle form of movement education that seeks to integrate the mind and body.

Trager practitioners help guide the patient through gentle, relaxing movements, relieving tension.
Patients were between ages 18 and 65 and generally suffered more than one headache a week for more than six months. They were divided into three six-week treatment groups: They received either medication alone, medication and weekly consultations with a family medicine physician, or medication and weekly Trager therapy.
Researchers asked all patients to keep track of headache frequency and number of pills taken.

They found that by the end of the study, the Trager- and medical consultation-group were suffering shorter headaches than patients receiving only medication. Trager patients also were suffering 28 percent fewer headaches a week, while medical consultation-group patients had about 4 percent fewer headaches a week. The medication-only group actually had about 14 percent more headaches. Both Trager patients and those receiving medical consultations had a better quality of life and were taking less medication at the end of the study.

Researchers note that results support further, more expansive trials to test the effectiveness of Trager as a treatment approach for headache.