It’s encouraging to see more research supporting the sensitising role of cervical afferents in Migraine.
The research supports previous research in 2014[1] utilising the nociceptive-blink reflex.
Up until 2023, there were (and still are) limited neurophysiological studies examining the effects of upper cervical manual therapy (UCMT) on the sensitisation of the trigemino-cervical complex (TCC) in migraine.
Jarafi et al. are to be congratulated on their work.[2, 3]
Finally, a body of research is emerging to advance the sensitising role that noxious upper cervical afferents play in migraine.
By extension, this research also has implications for other primary headache conditions because migraine is a phenotype of primary headache.[4] Furthermore, this research demands more consideration of non-pharmacological targeting of the TCC in those with migraine.
References:
- Watson, D.H. and P.D. Drummond, Cervical referral of head pain in migraineurs: effects on the nociceptive blink reflex. Headache, 2014. 54(6): p. 1035-45.
- Jafari, M., et al., Can upper cervical manual therapy affect the blink reflex in subjects with migraine and neck pain? J Man Manip Ther, 2023: p. 1-8.
- Jafari, M., et al., The effects of upper cervical spine manual therapy on central sensitization and brainstem auditory evoked potentials in subjects with migraine and neck pain. J Bodyw Mov Ther, 2024. 40: p. 184-189.
- Akerman, S., P.R. Holland, and P.J. Goadsby, Diencephalic and brainstem mechanisms in migraine. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2011. 12(10): p. 570-84.
