Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial (2024)

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache. Design: Three armed randomised controlled multicentre trial. Setting: 28 outpatient centres in Germany. Participants: 270 patients (74% women, mean age 43 (SD 13) years) with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Interventions: 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. Main outcome measure: 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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)376-379
Number of pages4
JournalBMJ
Volume331
Issue number7513
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Aug 2005

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Melchart, D., Streng, A., Hoppe, A., Brinkhaus, B., Witt, C., Wagenpfeil, S., Pfaffenrath, V., Hammes, M., Hummelsberger, J., Irnich, D., Weidenhammer, W., Willich, S. N. (2005). Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 331(7513), 376-379. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F

Melchart, Dieter ; Streng, Andrea ; Hoppe, Andrea et al. / Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache : Randomised controlled trial. In: BMJ. 2005 ; Vol. 331, No. 7513. pp. 376-379.

@article{debaefc4545243dd89803e407b70cc7a,

title = "Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial",

abstract = "Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache. Design: Three armed randomised controlled multicentre trial. Setting: 28 outpatient centres in Germany. Participants: 270 patients (74% women, mean age 43 (SD 13) years) with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Interventions: 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. Main outcome measure: 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.",

author = "Dieter Melchart and Andrea Streng and Andrea Hoppe and Benno Brinkhaus and Claudia Witt and Stefan Wagenpfeil and Volker Pfaffenrath and Michael Hammes and Josef Hummelsberger and Dominik Irnich and Wolfgang Weidenhammer and Willich, {Stefan N.} and Klaus Linde",

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doi = "10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F",

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Melchart, D, Streng, A, Hoppe, A, Brinkhaus, B, Witt, C, Wagenpfeil, S, Pfaffenrath, V, Hammes, M, Hummelsberger, J, Irnich, D, Weidenhammer, W, Willich, SN 2005, 'Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial', BMJ, vol. 331, no. 7513, pp. 376-379. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F

Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial. / Melchart, Dieter; Streng, Andrea; Hoppe, Andrea et al.
In: BMJ, Vol. 331, No. 7513, 13.08.2005, p. 376-379.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache

T2 - Randomised controlled trial

AU - Melchart, Dieter

AU - Streng, Andrea

AU - Hoppe, Andrea

AU - Brinkhaus, Benno

AU - Witt, Claudia

AU - Wagenpfeil, Stefan

AU - Pfaffenrath, Volker

AU - Hammes, Michael

AU - Hummelsberger, Josef

AU - Irnich, Dominik

AU - Weidenhammer, Wolfgang

AU - Willich, Stefan N.

AU - Linde, Klaus

PY - 2005/8/13

Y1 - 2005/8/13

N2 - Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache. Design: Three armed randomised controlled multicentre trial. Setting: 28 outpatient centres in Germany. Participants: 270 patients (74% women, mean age 43 (SD 13) years) with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Interventions: 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. Main outcome measure: 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.

AB - Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with minimal acupuncture and with no acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache. Design: Three armed randomised controlled multicentre trial. Setting: 28 outpatient centres in Germany. Participants: 270 patients (74% women, mean age 43 (SD 13) years) with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Interventions: 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. Main outcome measure: 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.

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U2 - 10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F

DO - 10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F

M3 - Article

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AN - SCOPUS:23844452389

SN - 0959-8146

VL - 331

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Melchart D, Streng A, Hoppe A, Brinkhaus B, Witt C, Wagenpfeil S et al. Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2005 Aug 13;331(7513):376-379. doi: 10.1136/bmj.38512.405440.8F

Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: Randomised controlled trial (2024)

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