Yoga as an Adjuvant therapy in management of migraine- An open label randomised trial

INTRODUCTION: Drug treatment is not very satisfactory in migraine and is associated with adverse effects. The effect of yoga as an add-on therapy in migraine was evaluated in the present study. METHODS: Patients between the age of 18 and 60 years suffering from migraine were recruited from Internal Medicine and Neurology OPD. Migraine was diagnosed according to the International Headache Society, International Classification of Headache Disorders-3(rd) edition (IHS, ICHD-3). At baseline, clinical and autonomic parameters of patients were assessed, and consenting patients were randomized into two equal groups by using a computer-based random number generator program (version 1): conventional (C group) and conventional plus yoga (C+Y group). Both groups were given conventional therapy for migraine, and the C+Y group was given yoga as an add-on therapy. Yoga therapy was given for 5 days/week for 12 weeks, and a post-intervention assessment was done at the 14(th) week. Subjective variables such as frequency and average duration were assessed through headache diaries or telephonic conversation, while severity was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and headache impact test (HIT-6). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Independent t test and Mann–Whitney U Test (Wilcoxon rank-sum test) were used for comparing normally and non-normally distributed endpoint outcomes after treatment (AT). RESULTS: Out of 170 patients screened, 75 were diagnosed with migraine and only 34 patients completed the study (17 in each group). All clinical and autonomic parameters showed significant improvement in pre- and post-intervention values in both groups (P < 0.0001). On comparing the conventional (C) group and conventional + yoga (C+Y) group, the change in the VAS score was more in the C+Y group (P = 0.041) and heart rate variability showed more reduction in the C+Y group (P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: We did not find any significant difference in the clinical outcome by adding yoga therapy to conventional therapy, except reduction in VAS score and reduction in heart rate variability.