title: Effect of acupressure and trigger points in treating headache: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. chenlin@ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Lisa Li-Chen
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Horng-Huei
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.forename: Liang-Huei
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tony Hsiu-Hsi
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Amy Ming-Fang
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D019050:Acupressure; D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D013624:Taiwan; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D010080:Oxazoles; C100282:mephenoxalone