Migraine patients’ experiences with and expectations from physiotherapy

Neck pain is prevalent in migraine and a common reason to receive physiotherapy. There is no information as to the type of modalities patients receive and whether these are perceived as effective and matching expectations. A survey was designed with closed and open-ended questions allowing for quantitative evaluation and qualitative insights into experiences and expectations. The survey was available online from June–November 2021 and was disseminated in the German migraine league (patient organization) and via social media. Open questions were summarized using qualitative content analysis. Differences between receiving and not receiving physiotherapy were analyzed through Chi2 or Fisher's Test. Categories within groups through Chi2-goodness-of-fit-test and multivariate logistic regression indicated perceived clinical improvement. 149 (123 received physiotherapy) patients completed the questionnaire. Patients receiving physiotherapy had higher pain intensity (p