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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The efficacy of acupressure in relieving pain has been documented; however, its effectiveness for chronic headache compared to the muscle relaxant medication has not yet been elucidated. To address this, a randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in a medical center in Southern Taiwan in 2003. Twenty-eight patients suffering chronic headache were randomly assigned to the acupressure group (n = 14) or the muscle relaxant medication group (n = 14). Outcome measures regarding self-appraised pain scores (measured on a visual analogue scale; VAS) and ratings of how headaches affected life quality were recorded at baseline, 1 month after treatment, and at a 6-month follow-up. Pain areas were recorded in order to establish trigger points. Results showed that mean scores on the VAS at post-treatment assessment were significantly lower in the acupressure group (32.9+/-26.0) than in the muscle relaxant medication group (55.7+/-28.7) (p = 0.047). The superiority of acupressure over muscle relaxant medication remained at 6-month follow-up assessments (p = 0.002). The quality of life ratings related to headache showed similar differences between the two groups in the post treatment and at six-month assessments. Trigger points BL2, GV20, GB20, TH21, and GB5 were used most commonly for etiological assessment. In conclusion, our study suggests that 1 month of acupressure treatment is more effective in reducing chronic headache than 1 month of muscle relaxant treatment, and that the effect remains 6 months after treatment. Trigger points help demonstrate the treatment technique recommended if a larger-scale study is conducted in the future.
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PMID:Effect of acupressure and trigger points in treating headache: a randomized controlled trial. 2012 40

Following evidence that acupuncture is clinically feasible and cost-effective in the treatment of headache, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends acupuncture as prophylactic treatment for migraine and tension headache. There has thus been expectation that other forms of headache should benefit also. Unfortunately, acupuncture has not generally been successful for cluster headache. This may be due to acupuncturists approaching the problem as one of severe migraine. In fact, cluster headache is classed as a trigeminal autonomic cephalgia. In this case report, episodic cluster headache is treated in the same way as has been shown effective for trigeminal neuralgia. Acupuncture is applied to the contralateral side at points appropriate for stimulating branches of the trigeminal nerve. Thus, ST2 is used for the infraorbital nerve, BL2 and Yuyao for the supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves, and Taiyang for the temporal branch of the zygomatic nerve.
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PMID:Acupuncture for episodic cluster headache: a trigeminal approach. 2635 62

Following evidence that acupuncture is clinically feasible and cost-effective in the treatment of headache, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends acupuncture as prophylactic treatment for migraine and tension headache. There has thus been expectation that other forms of headache should benefit also. Unfortunately, acupuncture has not generally been successful for cluster headache. This may be due to acupuncturists approaching the problem as one of severe migraine. In fact, cluster headache is classed as a trigeminal autonomic cephalgia. In this case report, episodic cluster headache is treated in the same way as has been shown effective for trigeminal neuralgia. Acupuncture is applied to the contralateral side at points appropriate for stimulating branches of the trigeminal nerve. Thus, ST2 is used for the infraorbital nerve, BL2 and Yuyao for the supratrochlear and supraorbital nerves, and Taiyang for the temporal branch of the zygomatic nerve.
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PMID:Acupuncture for episodic cluster headache: a trigeminal approach. 2684 5