Effect of acupressure and trigger points in treating headache: a randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Pain Management
• Neurology

Background:

• Acupressure's pain relief is known, but its chronic headache efficacy versus muscle relaxants is unclear.
• Chronic headaches significantly impact quality of life.
• Identifying effective, non-pharmacological treatments for chronic headaches is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of acupressure versus muscle relaxant medication for chronic headache relief.
• To evaluate the long-term effects of acupressure on headache pain and quality of life.
• To identify potential acupressure trigger points for chronic headaches.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 28 chronic headache patients.
• Patients were assigned to either an acupressure group (n=14) or a muscle relaxant medication group (n=14).
• Pain scores (Visual Analogue Scale) and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 6-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Acupressure group showed significantly lower Visual Analogue Scale pain scores post-treatment (32.9) compared to the medication group (55.7) (p=0.047).
• Acupressure's superiority in pain reduction was sustained at 6-month follow-up (p=0.002).
• Quality of life improvements mirrored pain score differences in both post-treatment and follow-up assessments.

Conclusions:

• One month of acupressure is more effective for reducing chronic headache pain than one month of muscle relaxant medication.
• The therapeutic benefits of acupressure for chronic headaches extend to at least six months post-treatment.
• Specific trigger points (BL2, GV20, GB20, TH21, GB5) were commonly used, suggesting their potential role in future studies.