Chiropractic Management of Adults with Cervicogenic or Tension-Type Headaches: Development of a Clinical Practice...

Chiropractors commonly manage cervicogenic headache (CGH) and tension-type headache (TTH) using nonpharmacological interventions such as spinal manipulative therapy. However, dedicated guidelines on chiropractic management of headaches are outdated.

We first conducted an umbrella review. A search for systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines on nonpharmacological interventions for adults with CGH or TTH published from 2017 to August 2023 was conducted. At least two authors independently performed article screening, risk of bias/quality assessment, certainty of evidence, and data extraction. A steering committee developed statements from the synthesized data and seed documents, which were refined by anonymous feedback from a 57-member Delphi panel until reaching at least 80% consensus. The statements were then subjected to public comment, prompting further revisions that were subsequently reviewed by the Delphi panel.

Thirty-two relevant articles were identified (31 systematic reviews and 1 clinical practice guideline). Statements included recommendations regarding history (e.g., red flags) and examination for CGH/TTH, recommendation to use of spinal manipulation for CGH, and for TTH only within multimodal care. Certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations for other nonpharmacological interventions (e.g., acupuncture and exercise) varied. Limitations in evidence precluded strong recommendations for acupuncture, education, meditation/mindfulness, and modalities used in isolation for CGH and electroacupuncture for TTH.

This clinical practice guideline created evidence-based consensus recommendations for chiropractic management of adults with CGH and TTH. Chiropractors may appropriately care for individuals with CGH and TTH using a variety of nonpharmacological interventions, while considering best practices in diagnosis, referral, and other aspects of care management.