Chief Complaint
Headache
Patient
32-year-old female, office worker (finance company)
Current History
She has had irregular headaches since she was in her 20s, but they became more frequent about one year ago, and since about six months ago, she has had three strong headaches a week. They are exacerbated by hot environments, but once they develop, headache medication is ineffective and sleep is the only option. There is no specific relationship to her menstrual cycle. The headache lasts from 3 to 6 hours.
Assessment
Based on the results of the interview and physical and neurological examination, the patient was evaluated as having migraine headache.
Plan
Since muscle tension and stiffness in the neck and shoulders were prominent, treatment was aimed at suppressing trigeminal nerve irritability and relieving stiffness in the neck and shoulder area.
Treatment
TEAT was stimulated in the neck and upper shoulders at 1 Hz for 15 minutes. Trigeminal nerve stimulation was also performed in the facial area at 30 Hz for 15 min.
Outcome
By the end of the fourth session, the frequency of headache attacks had improved to once a week or never, and the patient has been treated once a month since the fifth session.