Tai Chi associated with decreased migraine frequency in Hong Kong Chinese women

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) shows that 1 hour of Tai Chi training per day, 5 days a week, significantly decreases the frequency of migraine attacks among Hong Kong Chinese women with episodic migraine.

“Systematic reviews indicate that Tai Chi can relieve stress, improve sleep quality, alleviate fatigue, and, as a result, promote health-related quality of life and well-being. As stress, sleep disturbances and fatigue are typical migraine triggers, we hypothesized that Tai Chi may hold therapeutic potential in migraine prophylaxis,” wrote the study’s authors. [Psychiatr Clin North Am 2013;36:109-119; BMC Neurol 2014;doi:10.1186/s12883-014-0165-4; Curr Pain Headache Rep 2014;doi:10.1007/s11916-014-0454-z]

The two-arm individual-level RCT included Hong Kong Chinese women (age range, 18–65 years; mean age, 51 years) with a clinical diagnosis of episodic migraine (≤15 migraine days per month), who had more than two migraine attacks at least 2 months prior to enrollment and experienced at least one of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, photophobia, or phonophobia. Participants in the intervention group (n=40) received a 12-week modified short-form Yang-style Tai Chi training with additional 12-week follow-up, while participants in the waiting list control group (n=33) continued with their usual exercise regime and lifestyle for 24 weeks and then received Tai Chi training. [Front Public Health 2022;doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.1000594]

At baseline, the average frequency of migraine attacks was 6.3 times per month in both the Tai Chi and control groups. On average, participants in the Tai Chi and control groups experienced 7.4 and 8.4 migraine days per month, respectively. Median attack durations were 6.7 hours and 10.3 hours, respectively. Headache intensity was moderate in both groups. “None of the migraine features were significantly different between the two groups [p>0.05 for all],” noted the researchers.

According to the intention-to-treat analysis, at 12 weeks, the number of migraine attacks and the number of migraine days per month decreased significantly by 3.0 attacks and 3.6 days, respectively, in the Tai Chi group (p<0.01 for both), whereas no significant changes were reported in the control group. The significant decreases in the frequency of migraine attacks and number of migraine days per month persisted at 24 weeks, with 2.6 fewer attacks and 3.4 fewer days of migraine (p<0.01 for both). A slight alleviation of headache intensity as well as a shortening of headache duration were noted in the Tai Chi group, but the resulting differences were not statistically significant when compared with the control group.

Compared with control, at 12 weeks, the between-group differences in attacks per month and migraine days per month were −3.7 attacks and −3.0 days, respectively (p<0.001 for both), with a slightly greater reduction observed at 24 weeks. However, no significant between-group differences were observed in terms of intensity and duration of headache.

Most participants in the study were satisfied with the Tai Chi training course. “Compared with the full form of Tai Chi practice, this short form Yang-style Tai Chi reduced the complexity and time required. Hence, participants could learn to practice within a relatively short period of time and showed relatively good adherence during the whole trial,” explained the researchers.

“Our findings demonstrate that 12-week Tai Chi training had significant effects on reducing the frequency of migraine attacks and the number of migraine days, suggesting that Tai Chi is an effective mind-body exercise in preventing migraine attacks,” concluded the authors. “Furthermore, after training, Tai Chi can be carried out independently and has the potential to empower migraine sufferers to self-manage their condition.”