Duke University Researchers Determine Spinal Manipulation is Effective for Headaches (March, 2001)

Spinal manipulation may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck, according to a report released by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC.

Based on a literature review of several headache treatment options, a panel of 25 multidisciplinary experts concluded that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for cervicogenic headaches, or those that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly-prescribed medication.

"Cervical spinal manipulation was associated with improvement in headache outcomes in two trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache. Manipulation appeared to result in immediate improvement in headache severity when used to treat episodes of cervicogenic headache when compared with an attention-placebo control. Furthermore, when compared to soft-tissue therapies (massage), a course of manipulation treatments resulted in sustained improvement in headache frequency and severity."

"This new report helps validate what doctors of chiropractic and their patients have known for decades -that chiropractic adjustments are an effective treatment option for headache sufferers," said American Chiropractic Association (ACA) President James A. Mertz, DC, DACBR. "As alarming reports about the risks of prescription and over-the-counter drugs continue to surface, the health care community and patients should consider safe and effective non-drug treatments such as chiropractic care."