The effect of massage with aromatic oils on pain level and life quality during acute migraine attack

The study was conducted empirically to determine the effect of massage with aromatic oils along with medical treatment during migraine attacks on pain level and quality of life of patients diagnosed with migraine. Sample of this study consisted of 70 patients admitted to the emergency clinic with a migraine attack, met working criteria and agreed to participate in the study voluntarily. 35 patients were in the experimental group and the rest was in the control group. Data were collected with the Patient Information Form, Depressive Symptom Inventory, Self-Report (IDS-SR), 24 Hours Quality of Life Scale-FTSC in Migraine Patients, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Sphygmomanometer and Pulseoximeter. In addition to medical treatment during the acute migraine attack, patients in the experimental group had massage for 15 minutes with aromatic oil blend applied to the forehead, temple and neck root. They had massage for three weeks. Patients in the control group did not receive any treatment. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM SPSS, Turkey) program was used to evaluate the data for statistical analysis. The Mann Whitney U test was used to evaluate the descriptive statistical methods (mean, standard deviation, frequency) as well as quantitative data between two groups with normal distribution.The Kruskal Wallis test was used for multiple intergroup evaluations, and the Mann Whitney U test was used to determine the causing difference. Pre-treatment VAS scores of the experimental group were found to be statistically higher than control group (p: 0,030, p <0,05). In the experimental group, the decrease in the VAS scores after the treatment was found to be statistically higher than the control group. It was seen that the total and subscale quality of life scores of the experimental group following the treatment were significantly higher than the control group (p <0,05). After massage with aroma oils, the total score of 24 Hours Quality of Life Scale-FTSC in Migraine Patients of the experimental group was found to be statistically higher than the control group (p: 0,005, p <0,01). As a result of the study, massage with lavender and mint oil was found to be effective in decreasing the pain of migraine patients and it was found that the quality of life was affected positively.