Phy Care: Headache Therapy

Abstract

Prevalent headaches like migraines and tension type headaches, are very common and almost 15% of the population suffer from them (Headache Disorders). These headaches are recurring and can even become chronic, greatly affecting the socioeconomic lives of the people who suffer from them. There is a need to have a non-invasive at home treatment for these headaches that doesn't depend on medications. A modular physiotherapy device was designed that uses acupressure and massage therapy to relieve pain and decrease the frequency of headaches as well as reduce their duration. It consists of a headband and a neck massager, for immediate pain relief as well as decreasing the frequency and duration of headaches as a long-term effect. Usability testing was done on users who suffer from chronic migraines, where the Massager was placed on different areas of the users back for ten to fifteen minutes. Results were positive and all users agreed that such a device would be useful to them.