Massage Reduces Headache Frequency

In 2002, Christopher Quinn (DC), Clint Chandler (BS) and Albert Moraska (PhD) studied chronic tension headache sufferers.

First, they measured participants’ headaches (frequency, duration, and intensity) over a 4-week period without massage treatment. Then, they recorded the same measures again over 4-weeks, but this time the participants received a 30-minute massage treatment twice per week that was focused on the neck and shoulder muscles.

The study shows, compared to baseline results, headache frequency was significantly reduced within the first week of receiving massage therapy treatment and this reduction continued for the remainder of the 4-week treatment period. Additionally, the duration of headaches tended to decrease during the massage treatment period. The intensity of the headaches remained unchanged.

The results of this study suggest that massage therapy can be effective in reducing the number of headaches per in chronic tension headache sufferers.

Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information