Doctors Explain Why Viral Claw Clip Hack Might Work for Migraines

When you start to feel that pounding feeling in your head, do you feel tired of basic headache tips like taking medicine, taking a nap, and drinking water?

If this sounds familiar, maybe try grabbing a bobby pin.

According to various social media creators, a quick solution to headaches (which some say works better than prescription medication) is to put a pair of claw tweezers to your eyebrow. (Watch an example here.) And contrary to many dubious claims about the social media app, doctors say it could have a little deserves (but, as always, there is still a catch).

Below, the experts break it down:

To begin with, it is essentially acupressure, which comes from traditional Chinese medicine. Acupressure involves applying pressure to specific points on the body.

“The clip puts pressure on where the branches of the trigeminal nerve pass,” explained Dr. Fawad Mian, founder and physician of Ascend Regenerative, board-certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and sleep medicine. (The trigeminal nerve plays a role in migraine pain.) “It gives your nervous system something to focus on, which takes your attention away from the pain.”

“Applying pressure to the skin can activate competing sensory signals, which can temporarily dull the perception of pain, a concept sometimes called ‘gate control’ of pain. This is because pain signals travel more slowly than sensory signals from touch, pressure, and vibration,” explained Dr. Jon Stewart Hao Dy, a board-certified neurologist based in Manila, Philippines.

In other words, your brain may focus more on the sensation applied by the clip rather than the painful sensation of the headache.

Although it hasn’t been researched, this hack is essentially a DIY version of something more scientific and researched.

“Clinical studies have shown that controlled electrical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve can reduce pain, but a prong forceps is not a neuromodulation device,” said Dr. Lynette Gogol, a board-certified neurologist and lifestyle medicine physician.

Interestingly, this also reflects the concept of Daith piercings, Dy said. Daith piercings are placed on the innermost crease of your ear and people claim they help relieve migraines through stimulation. Like the claw clip trend, the benefits of Daith piercings are not studied, but anecdotal.

“There are no studies showing how quickly a claw clip should work or how long the relief should last,” Gogol said.

Neurologists agree that the effects would unfortunately most likely be temporary and vary from person to person.

“It works best for tension headaches and migraines if you catch them early,” Mian said. “If your migraine is severe, this probably won’t help.”

Also, if it helps, it will only do so when the tweezers are on your eyebrow. Once removed, poof: the pain is back. Dy said this was “because the clip essentially provides an external sensory stimulus rather than treating the underlying migraine process.”

If it still works for you, great – just keep in mind that it’s not a real “cure” or treatment.

Also note that in some situations this can make things worse. Mian said it could make you feel worse due to skin sensitivity, and Gogol said harmless touch or pressure to the face can be painful for some people with migraines. According to Dy, this is especially true for people who develop allodynia, or extreme sensitivity to touch, during migraines.

If you’re considering trying this tip, Mian provided the following guidelines:

• Do not overtighten the clip
• Aim for firm pressure, no pain
• If it makes you feel worse, take it off
• Do not use it as a replacement for other headache treatments.

Gogol said she wouldn’t recommend it at all, and Dy ended up somewhere in between.

“If a patient finds that it provides a little temporary relief and it doesn’t cause any harm, I wouldn’t necessarily discourage them,” Dy said. “However, I want to emphasize that it should not replace evidence-based treatments, especially for patients with frequent (more than 15 headache days per month) or severely debilitating migraines.”

Additionally, he recommended wearing the clip for no more than 30 minutes.

“In terms of safety, using claw pliers in this manner generally poses little risk if not applied too firmly,” Dy continued. “Excessive or prolonged pressure could, however, potentially irritate superficial nerves, aggravate localized pain or paradoxically trigger tension headaches.”

While the prong clip hack is interesting, it’s far from the only useful thing.

“Old habits are always worth it,” Mian said.

What works for someone else may not work for you – even if it’s an “old standby” – and that’s okay. Mian explained that caffeine and ice packs help some people, while others benefit more from sleeping in a dark room.

Gogol believed that the best solution was to aim for prevention through consistency.

“A regular sleep schedule, regular meals, avoiding dehydration and managing stress can support migraine prevention,” she said.

If and when you have a migraine, she agrees that two things — putting a cold compress on your head or neck and reducing light and noise — can also help.

Dy added that putting a cold compress on the painful area, avoiding trigger foods and drinks (such as chocolate, cheese, alcohol and sometimes coffee) and taking prescribed medications can also be beneficial.

“I think migraine ‘hacks’ can be helpful in that they encourage patients to explore non-pharmacological ways to manage their symptoms, but they can also be misleading if they make it seem like there is a silver bullet for a migraine,” Dy concluded. “They can complement their current treatment, but they should not replace medically proven therapies or appropriate evaluation by a physician/neurologist/headache specialist, particularly when headaches are frequent, severe, progressive, or changing in character.”