Abstract
Primary headache disorders affect large number of people worldwide. Migraine and tension type headaches constitute 95% of all headaches. Both tension type headaches and migraine impose huge socioeconomic impact on society. The role of non-pharmacological interventions in management of primary headaches is not entirely clear. Acupuncture is one of the most historical non pharmacological ways of treating migraine and tension type headaches. The evidence in support of its effectiveness however is conflicting. This review evaluates the available evidence regarding effectiveness of acupuncture for migraine and tension type headaches.
Highlights
Headache is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system with one year prevalence of 48.9% [1]
Tension type headaches (TTH) and migraine constitute the vast majority of primary headaches with prevalence of 60-80% and 15% respectively [3]
The purpose of this review is to look through the available evidence that highlights the role of acupuncture in managing primary headache disorders i.e. migraine and TTH, identify potential factors contributing to inconclusive results and whether acupuncture could be considered as cost-effective long term prophylactic treatment especially in migraine after 2012 National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines (Table 1)
Summary
Headache is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system with one year prevalence of 48.9% [1]. Headache disorders are associated with personal and societal burdens of pain, disability, damaged quality of life and financial cost. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considered headaches as one of the top 10 causes of disability [2]. Majority of headaches are primary i.e. not attributed to an identifiable underlying cause. Tension type headaches (TTH) and migraine constitute the vast majority of primary headaches with prevalence of 60-80% and 15% respectively [3]. Cluster headache is relatively uncommon (0.1%) [3]
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