Effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation versus sham manipulation for recurrent headaches in children aged 7-14 years. A randomized clinical trial

Another little tangent from our series on different types of headaches but still on the same topic, headaches! Adding to the body of research on effective treatments for headaches are Drs. Lynge et al. Below are the results and conclusion from this randomized clinical trial (RCT), enjoy!

Results:
"Chiropractic spinal manipulation resulted in significantly fewer days with headaches (reduction of 0.81 vs. 0.41, p=0.019, NNT=7) and better global perceived effect (2.63 vs. 3.24, p<0.001, NNT=5) compared with a sham manipulation procedure. There was no difference between groups for pain intensity during headache episodes. Due to methodological shortcomings, no conclusions could be drawn about medication use.

Conclusion:
Chiropractic spinal manipulation resulted in fewer headaches and higher global perceived effect, with only minor side effects. It did not lower the intensity of the headaches. Since the treatment is easily applicable, of low cost and minor side effects, chiropractic spinal manipulation might be considered as a valuable treatment option for children with recurrent headaches.

Full article can be accessed here.