Papers of the Week

An acute migraine attack is a very painful condition and can be difficult to treat. Pharmacological treatments are limited by significant side effects and limited efficacy. There are anecdotal reports suggesting that acute migraine attacks could be treated using pressure point stimulation between the thumb and index fingers. There are no scientific published data to evaluate the effectiveness of this trigger point. Using rhythmic pressure applied to the trigger point between the index finger and thumb, we report the effectiveness of this method in 6 of 7 cases. This technique can effectively break acute migraine attacks in a matter of minutes. The pressure must be applied in a rhythmic cycle without causing significant pain. A detailed description of this technique in successfully treated cases is described in this manuscript.