Published in a two-arm randomized controlled trial format, the study involved 65 adults experiencing moderate to severe migraines. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either CST (n=36) or LSSM (n=29) treatments over an eight-week period following an initial 8-week baseline.

The LSSM intervention mirrored the CST protocol in various aspects, including treatment setting, visit timing, body positioning, and therapist-subject interaction. To gauge credibility and expectancy, subjects completed a four-item questionnaire after their first visit, utilizing a validated instrument.

The results revealed notable differences between the two treatment groups. Participants rated the logicality of LSSM treatment significantly lower (mean score 5.03, SD 2.34) compared to CST (mean score 6.64, SD 2.19). Additionally, confidence in the improvement of migraines was higher among CST recipients (mean score 5.94, SD 2.01) compared to LSSM (mean score 4.9, SD 2.21), though not statistically significant. Moreover, a greater proportion of subjects receiving CST (mean score 6.08, SD 2.27) expressed confidence in recommending the treatment to a friend compared to LSSM recipients (mean score 4.69, SD 2.49).

While LSSM did not achieve similar levels of credibility and expectancy as CST, the study identified potential factors contributing to this disparity. Analysis suggests that refining the design and implementation of future studies could enhance comparability between treatments. These findings provide valuable insights for the advancement of research in CAM therapies for migraine management.

Reference: Curtis, P., Gaylord, S. A., Park, J., Faurot, K. R., Coble, R., Suchindran, C., & Mann, J. D. (2011). Credibility of low-strength static magnet therapy as an attention control intervention for a randomized controlled study of CranioSacral therapy for migraine headaches. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(8), 711-721.