The effects of manual therapy (MT) on pain and psychosocial factors in tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine sufferers: a structured literature review.
Item
- Title
- The effects of manual therapy (MT) on pain and psychosocial factors in tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine sufferers: a structured literature review.
- Author(s)
- Ward, C
- Abstract
- Background: TTHs and migraines are one of the most common worldwide neurological conditions, causing sufferers pain and a detrimental impact on their quality of life and psychological wellbeing. Many seek MT for help in the management of their condition. Manual therapists, operating within the biopsychosocial model, are arguably well placed to treat TTH and migraine patients. However, to date, previous systematic reviews have focused only on pain outcomes. Objective: To conduct a structured review of relevant randomised clinical trials published since 2000 to answer the research question: what is the effect of MT on pain and psychosocial factors in TTH and migraine sufferers? Design: Structured literature review. Methods: 4 databases were searched using a bespoke search strategy for relevant research. The results of the searches were screened with any non-relevant studies or duplicates removed. Inclusion and Exclusion criteria reflecting the research question was then applied to the remaining studies. Selected studies were assessed for methodological quality using the PEDro scale. Relevant study characteristics were extracted including study type, participant information, headache condition analysed, details of the intervention, outcome measures and clinically significant results relating to efficacy. Results: The systematic search returned 4810 studies. 14 complied with the Inclusion/Exclusion criteria and were selected for review. 11 of the 14 studies were of moderate to high quality. 14 studies found clinically significant results regarding pain outcomes and 11 regarding psychosocial outcomes. Discussion: The findings of MT’s effectiveness on pain and psychosocial outcomes supports the use of a biopsychosocial approach in the management of headaches. However, the validity of the results was limited by the heterogeneity of study characteristics, a lack of long-term follow-up and other methodological weaknesses. Conclusion: MT may have effects on both pain and psychosocial factors in TTH and migraine sufferers. However, due to limitations in the studies reviewed, further research is needed to determine the extent of the effectiveness of MT, which patient populations would most benefit from this treatment and the cost effectiveness of treatment.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2019
- Date Submitted
- 19.11.2019 18:31:10
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16518
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Biopsychosocial model; Manual therapies; Primary headaches; Structured review.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Ward, C, “The effects of manual therapy (MT) on pain and psychosocial factors in tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine sufferers: a structured literature review.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/229