Acupuncture for Headaches and Migraines
Headaches are one of the most common reasons people try acupuncture — and one of the areas where the evidence is strongest.
If you have been reaching for painkillers more often than you would like, or you are losing days to migraine, it is worth knowing what the research actually says.
What does the evidence show? Acupuncture is not a fringe option here.
NICE, the UK's clinical guideline body, recommends considering a course of acupuncture for the prophylactic treatment of chronic tension-type headache and for migraine prevention, where other treatments are unsuitable or have not worked.
Cochrane reviews have found that acupuncture reduces the frequency of migraine and tension-type headache, with effects at least comparable to prophylactic medication in some trials, and with fewer side effects.
That is a genuinely strong position for a non-drug treatment. It does not mean acupuncture works for everyone — nothing does — but it does mean it is a reasonable thing to try.
What types of headache do we see?
T ension-type headache
Migraine, with or without aura
Cervicogenic headache — headache arising from the neck
Headache following a neck injury or whiplash
Jaw-related and stress-related headache
The neck connection
A large proportion of the headaches we see in the Takapuna Seven clinic have a neck component.
Long hours at a desk, poor workstation setup, and hours looking down at a phone all load the upper neck — and that upper neck refers pain into the head. This is where having physiotherapy and acupuncture in the same clinic is useful. We can treat the headache and the neck that is driving it.
What will treatment involve?
A proper assessment first: your headache pattern, triggers, sleep, workload, and any red flags that need medical review. Treatment usually involves acupuncture to points around the neck, upper shoulders and head, and may include cupping or myofascial release to the upper back and neck. We will also look at your workstation and daily habits — the treatment is only half the job if you go straight back to the thing that caused it.
An important note: If your headache is sudden and severe, changes in character, comes with fever, visual changes, weakness or confusion, or follows a head injury — see a doctor or go to A&E. Those need medical assessment, not acupuncture.
Is it covered by ACC? Only if the headache follows an injury — for example, a headache after a whiplash or a knock to the head. Headaches that develop gradually without an accident are treated as a private appointment.
Book online, or call us — Level 3, 507 Lake Road, Takapuna.
References NICE Clinical Guideline CG150. Headaches in Over 12s: Diagnosis and Management. Linde K, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Linde K, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Vickers AJ, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Pain. 2018.