An App for Migraine Sufferers

As some of you look forward to the start of this year's school season, your teenager may see an uptick of their headaches or migraine.

According to a study by the Migraine Research Foundation, nearly 10% of school-age children suffer from migraine. Statistics show that half of all migraine sufferers have their first attack before the age of 12. Boys suffer from migraine more often than girls prior to reaching puberty. Then as they get older into adolescence, the incidence of migraine increases more rapidly in girls than in boys. By age 17, as many as 8% of boys and 23% of girls have experienced a migraine.

Migraine's exact causes have been studied which includes some evidence of genetic and environmental factors, to name a few. Although these risk factors appear to be outside our control, treatment for migraines can be managed based on the individual's specific situation.

Migraine may also vary between age groups. The child's migraine can just just be as disabling as someone in their 40's. The common thread among children with migraines, however, is that kids who have migraines are absent from school twice as often as those who don't. Kids also experience dizziness, sleep difficulties, fatigue and changes in mood that affect concentration and learning in school.

In any personalized treatment plan, a greater understanding of the causes of migraine is the focus as part of a long-term strategy in migraine treatment. After all, not knowing the likely causes of your ailment can make it very challenging for any clinician to provide the appropriate treatment.

To overcome some of the challenges in migraine management and pave the way to promote self-management as part of the individual's treatment for migraine, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) created an app called the "Migraine Trainer" designed to help users 13 years and older understand their migraines.

The "Migraine Trainer" offers action steps, daily goals and cognitive exercises in managing migraines. We like the app for its "kid friendliness" and its straightforward approach to help your child decide what to do when a migraine starts. 

The app also works like a "diary" so your child can log when the migraine happens, how long they last, the location of their pain, and activities like sleep, exercise and how much water they drank before the migraine came on. If your child forgot how deep breathing or imagination is done, the app offers a quick way to get to it by clicking "Activities". 

The app includes "Daily Goals" with built-in "Reminders" so your child knows where they want to be when it comes to sleep, exercise and hydration. Lastly, the app also offers a way to go back and summarize all these through "My History" for you or your child's pediatrician to review and provide a better understanding of their migraines. 

We like the Migraine Trainer's simplicity and user-friendliness that any 13 year old would easily catch-on. If you or your child are looking for ways to help manage migraines, this is an app we recommend. If you're interested about the "Migraine Trainer", you can download the app, here (for Android devices) or here (for iOs devices).