What does the evidence show? Efficacy of behavioural treatments for recurrent headaches in adults

Behavioural treatments (predominantly biofeedback, relaxation and cognitive-behavioural) have been utilised in headache management for nearly 4 decades. This paper examines their clinical efficacy, drawing upon 2 primary sources of evidence: meta-analytic and evidenced-based reviews. Behavioural tre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurological sciences 2007-05, Vol.28 Suppl 2 (S2), p.S70-S77
Main Author: Andrasik, F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Behavior Therapy - methods
Behavior Therapy - statistics & numerical data
Behavior Therapy - trends
Biofeedback, Psychology - methods
Cognitive Therapy - statistics & numerical data
Cognitive Therapy - trends
Evidence-Based Medicine - statistics & numerical data
Headache Disorders - physiopathology
Headache Disorders - psychology
Headache Disorders - therapy
Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data
Health Services Accessibility - trends
Humans
Meta-Analysis as Topic
Neurology
Neurosciences
Relaxation Therapy - statistics & numerical data
Relaxation Therapy - trends
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Behavioural treatments (predominantly biofeedback, relaxation and cognitive-behavioural) have been utilised in headache management for nearly 4 decades. This paper examines their clinical efficacy, drawing upon 2 primary sources of evidence: meta-analytic and evidenced-based reviews. Behavioural treatments have demonstrated efficacy and have been endorsed by various reviewing groups, such as the US Headache Consortium. Outcomes from behavioural treatments appear to endure over longer-term follow-up intervals as well. Meta-analyses comparing behavioural and pharmacological treatments have revealed similar levels of outcome. The article closes with a brief discussion of methods investigators are exploring to make behavioural treatments more available and affordable to headache patients.
ISSN:1590-1874
1590-3478
DOI:10.1007/s10072-007-0754-8