Mechanism-Based Cervical Rehabilitation for Chronic Migraine

NCT07762690 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: BSUPT/05012025/naeem
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

To investigate the effectiveness of mechanism-based cervical sensorimotor rehabilitation on cervical muscle activation, cervical proprioception, and migraine burden.

Conditions

Chronic Migraine

Keywords

Cervical Sensorimotor Rehabilitation; Joint Position Error; Cervical Muscle Activation; EMG

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• cervical joint position error

  Cervical Joint Position Error (JPE) will be assessed to evaluate cervical proprioception using the Head Repositioning Accuracy Test. A lightweight laser pointer will be securely attached to the participant's head using an adjustable headband. Participants will be seated comfortably at a distance of 90 cm from a target grid mounted on a wall at eye level. At the beginning of each trial, participants will be instructed to identify and memorise their neutral head position while visually focusing on the centre of the target. They will then close their eyes and actively move their head to the end range of the required movement (flexion, extension, right rotation, left rotation, right lateral flexion, or left lateral flexion, depending on the testing protocol) before attempting to return to the original neutral position without visual feedback.The distance between the original target position and the repositioned laser point will be recorded and converted into angular error (degrees). Thre

  after the 8-week intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Headache Impact Test (HIT-6)

  after the 8-week intervention (Week 8), and at the 3-month follow-up

• Surface electromyographic (sEMG)

  baseline of 8-week intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

expermintal

EXPERIMENTAL

he experimental group will receive an eight-week mechanism-based cervical sensorimotor rehabilitation programme consisting of deep cervical flexor training, cervical motor control exercises, laser-guided cervical joint position error retraining, eye-head coordination exercises, scapular neuromuscular stabilization exercises, and a structured home exercise programme. Treatment will be delivered three sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 40 minutes.

Other: cervical sensorimotor rehabilitation; Other: conventional physiotherapy programme

control group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The control group will receive conventional physiotherapy, including cervical range of motion exercises, stretching exercises, postural education, and a home exercise programme, with the same treatment frequency and duration as the experimental group.

Other: conventional physiotherapy programme

Interventions

cervical sensorimotor rehabilitation OTHER

he experimental group will receive an eight-week mechanism-based cervical sensorimotor rehabilitation programme consisting of deep cervical flexor training, cervical motor control exercises, laser-guided cervical joint position error retraining, eye-head coordination exercises, scapular neuromuscular stabilization exercises, and a structured home exercise programme. Treatment will be delivered three sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 40 minutes.

expermintal

conventional physiotherapy programme OTHER

Describe the conventional physiotherapy programme in the same level of detail as the experimental intervention, including exercise dosage, repetitions, duration, progression, and home programme.

control group; expermintal

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male or female adults aged 18-55 years. Diagnosed with chronic migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Third Edition (ICHD-3), defined as headache occurring on ≥15 days per month for more than 3 months, with migraine features present on at least 8 days per month.
• History of migraine for at least 12 months prior to enrolment. Experiencing chronic migraine during the previous three months, confirmed through clinical history and/or headache diary.
• Presence of cervical sensorimotor impairment, demonstrated by at least one of the following:
• Increased cervical joint position error. Reduced cervical range of motion. Impaired cervical motor control. Neck pain or cervical dysfunction associated with migraine.

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosis of headache disorders other than chronic migraine (e.g., cervicogenic headache, cluster headache, or medication-overuse headache).
• Previous cervical spine surgery, fracture, or significant cervical trauma. Cervical radiculopathy, myelopathy, or severe cervical spine pathology. Neurological disorders other than migraine (e.g., stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease).
• Vestibular disorders affecting balance or proprioception. Inflammatory or systemic musculoskeletal diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis).
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Physiotherapy, chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, or cervical rehabilitation within the previous 3 months.
• Botulinum toxin injections or cervical pain interventions within the previous 3-4 months.
• Changes in migraine preventive medication within the previous 4 weeks. Skin conditions preventing surface EMG electrode placement. Inability to comply with the study protocol or provide informed consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Beni-Suef University: lead

Study Officials

• mohamed naeem

  BeniSuef

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

mohamed naeem, assistant professor

CONTACT

+201006739576; mohamed.naeem2025@gmail.com

mohmoud hamada, assistant professor

CONTACT

01111750888; mahmoud.mohamed@fpt.bu.edu.eg

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: This is a parallel group randomized controlled trial with two arms receiving different interventions
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant professor, Basic science department, faculty of physical therapy, Beni Suef university

Model Details: Following baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the expermential group or control group. An independent researcher will use a machine-generated random order to ensure a random distribution

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 25, 2026
• First Posted: August 13, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07