| Author, Year, Followup,a Pain Duration, Study Quality | Intervention | Population | Function and Pain Outcomes | Other Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ebneshahidi, 2005251 3 months Duration of pain: NR Fair | A. Low-Energy Laser Acupuncture (n=25): 4 acupoints (two local and two distal), bilaterally (8 total): intensity 1.3J, output 100%, continuous mode, using vertical contact with pressure and a duration of 43 seconds. B. Sham Laser Acupuncture (n=25): Identical procedure to real electroacupuncture except power output set to 0 Treatment Protocol: 3 sessions per week for a total of 10 sessions (session length: NR) | A vs. B Age: 33 vs. 39 years Female: 80% vs. 80% Race: NR Baseline Number of headache days per month (0-28), median: 20 vs. 18 Baseline Pain intensity on VAS (0-10), median: 10 vs. 10 Baseline Duration of attacks, (hours), median: 10 vs. 8 | A vs. B 3 months Headache Days/Month, median change from baseline: −8 vs. 0, p<0.001 Headache Intensity (VAS), median change from baseline: −2 vs. 0, p<0.001 Duration of attacks (hours), median change from baseline: −4 vs. 0, p<0.001 | NR |
Karst, 2000252 1.5 months Duration of pain: NR Poor | A. Acupuncture (n=21) Traditional Chinese acupuncture; maximum of 15 needles, 10 acupoints B. Sham Acupuncture (n=18): blunt placebo needles and elastic foam were used to simulate puncturing and shield needle type. Treatment Protocol: 30-minute sessions twice weekly for 5 weeks (10 sessions total) | A vs. B Age: 50 vs. 47 years Female: 38% vs. 61% Race: NR Headache frequency: 27 vs. 27 days/month VAS (0-10): 6.2 vs. 6.3 Analgesic Intake/Month: 8.3 vs. 10.2 | A vs. B 1.5 months Frequency of headache attacks/month: 22.1 vs. 22.0; difference 0.1 (95% CI −6.6 to 6.8) Headache Severity, VAS: 4.0 vs. 3.9; difference 0.1 (95% CI −11.9 to 12.1) | A vs. B 1.5 months Analgesic Intake/Month: 13.7 vs. 21.2; difference −7.5 (95% CI −22.2 to 7.2) |
Tavola, 1992253 1, 6, 12 months Duration of pain: 8 years Poor | A. Acupuncture (n=15): Traditional Chinese acupuncture; 6-10 acupoints chosen on an individual basis; insertion depth 10-20 mm; needles were left in place without the use of any manual or electrical stimulation B. Sham Acupuncture (n=15): same number of needles, inserted more superficially (depth 2-4 mm), in the same region used in real acupuncture group but in areas without acupuncture points Treatment Protocol: 20-minute sessions once per week for 8 weeks (8 sessions total) | A vs. B Age: 33 vs. 33 years Female: 87% vs. 87% Mean frequency of headache attacks per month: 18 vs. 17 Mean analgesic use: 12 vs. 12 units/month Mean HI (intensity X duration X frequency/30): 4.3 vs. 4.5 Mean duration of attacks (sum of the hours of headache in a month/number of attacks): 3.3 vs. 4.4 | A vs. B 1 month Responders, ≥33% improvement in HI: 86.7% vs. 60.0%; RR 1.44 (95% CI 0.91 to 2.28) Responders, ≥50% improvement in HI: 53.3% vs. 46.7%; RR 1.14 (95% CI 0.56 to 2.35) HI, meanb: 2.4 vs. 3.0; difference −0.60 (95% CI −6.12 to 4.92) Mean decrease in HI from baseline: 58.3% vs. 27.8% Mean decrease in headache attack frequency from baseline: 44.3% vs. 21.4% 6 months HI, meanb: 2.2 vs. 3.1; difference −0.90 (95% CI −7.15 to 5.35), 12 months Responders, ≥33% improvement in HI: 53.3% vs. 46.7%; RR 1.14 (95% CI 0.56 to 2.35) Responders, ≥50% improvement in HI: 40.0% vs. 26.7%; RR 1.50 (95% CI 0.53 to 4.26) HI, meanb: 3.2 (2.1) vs. 3.7 (2.2); difference −0.50 (95% CI −6.73 to 5.73) | A vs. B 1 month Mean decrease in analgesic consumption from baseline: 57.7% vs. 21.7% |
From: Results
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