Yesterday, we reported that acupuncture seems to benefit migraine patients. According to The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, acupuncture may also be helpful for some patients with frequent tension-type headaches.

Yesterday, we reported that acupuncture seems to benefit migraine patients. According to The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, acupuncture may also be helpful for some patients with frequent tension-type headaches .

Tension-type headaches cause tightening pain on both sides of the head. Although tension-type headaches are usually infrequent, some individuals experience tension-type headaches more often, or even every day. A review of 11 trials designed to study the effectiveness of acupuncture in the prophylaxis of tension-type headaches showed that acupuncture treatment led to a decrease in the number of headaches, as well as a decrease in the intensity of the pain, when compared to routine care.

According to a 2002 US survey, nearly 10% of Americans who had undergone acupuncture were treated for headache. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-depressants such as amitriptyline can be used to treat tension-type headache. However, in patients with poorly-controlled or frequent tension-type headaches, it seems that acupuncture could be a useful tool for reducing the frequency and intensity of these headaches.

Source

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;1:CD007587, Published online January 21, 2009.