Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache.


METHODS
Three armed randomised controlled multicentre trial.


METHODS
28 outpatient centres in Germany.


METHODS
270 patients (74% women, mean age 43 (SD 13) years) with episodic or chronic tension-type headache.


METHODS
Acupuncture, minimal acupuncture (superficial needling at non-acupuncture points), or waiting list control. Acupuncture and minimal acupuncture were administered by specialised physicians and consisted of 12 sessions per patient over eight weeks.


METHODS
Difference in numbers of days with headache between the four weeks before randomisation and weeks 9-12 after randomisation, as recorded by participants in headache diaries.


RESULTS
The number of days with headache decreased by 7.2 (SD 6.5) days in the acupuncture group compared with 6.6 (SD 6.0) days in the minimal acupuncture group and 1.5 (SD 3.7) days in the waiting list group (difference: acupuncture v minimal acupuncture, 0.6 days, 95% confidence interval -1.5 to 2.6 days, P = 0.58; acupuncture v waiting list, 5.7 days, 3.9 to 7.5 days, P < 0.001). The proportion of responders (at least 50% reduction in days with headache) was 46% in the acupuncture group, 35% in the minimal acupuncture group, and 4% in the waiting list group.


CONCLUSIONS
The acupuncture intervention investigated in this trial was more effective than no treatment but not significantly more effective than minimal acupuncture for the treatment of tension-type headache.


BACKGROUND
ISRCTN9737659.
Melchart
Dieter
D
Centre for Complementary Medicine Research, Department of Internal Medicine II, Technische Universität München, Kaiserstr 9, 80801 Munich, Germany.
Streng
Andrea
A
Hoppe
Andrea
A
Brinkhaus
Benno
B
Witt
Claudia
C
Wagenpfeil
Stefan
S
Pfaffenrath
Volker
V
Hammes
Michael
M
Hummelsberger
Josef
J
Irnich
Dominik
D
Weidenhammer
Wolfgang
W
Willich
Stefan N
SN
Linde
Klaus
K
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome