How is spinal manipulation involved in the treatment of headache and back pain?
Spinal manipulation has been shown in several studies to positively impact pain related to tension-type headaches, and the severity of side effects patients experienced was reported to be less than those who underwent pharmaceutical treatment with amitriptyline; there is also some evidence that spinal manipulation can improve outcomes for cervicogenic headaches as well. Much of the benefit from spinal manipulation is gained in acute headache pain relief—the benefits and mechanisms for the therapy are less understood in chronic pain models.