Headaches have a significant impact on the quality of life in both adults and children. Approximately 13% of patients who sought chiropractic care over the last decade did so for headache relief. Several studies have found that manual therapies, such as spinal manipulation and mobilization, can provide significant benefits for patients with both tension-type and migraine headaches—even better than standard medical care, in some cases.
In 2011, Canadian researchers reviewed data from 21 published studies to develop specific recommendations for chiropractic management of headaches. For episodic or chronic migraine and cervicogenic headaches (those caused by specific neck problems), they recommended spinal manipulation and other manual interventions, such as massage. Additionally, researchers noted that joint mobilization and strengthening exercises for the deep neck flexor muscles may also improve symptoms associated with cervicogenic headaches.
For episodic tension-type headaches, the investigators did not find enough published evidence to support the use of spinal manipulation. They stated that, at the current time, “a recommendation cannot be made for or against the use of spinal manipulation for patients with chronic tension-type headache” (CTTH). However, they did report that low-load craniocervical mobilization “may be beneficial for longer-term management of patients with episodic or chronic tension-type headaches.”
In contrast, following a randomized clinical trial of 80 patients with chronic tension-type headaches, Dutch researchers reported that “Manual therapy is more effective than usual [general practitioner] care in the short- and longer term in reducing symptoms of CTTH.”
Chiropractors utilize many types of manual therapies as a primary form of care for several complaints and conditions, including headaches.