If you are among the many people who suffer from tension headaches, chances are there is a treatment that can help reduce your pain. Recent studies add to the growing evidence that trigger point dry needling (TDN) is beneficial to combat the symptoms of chronic tension headaches.

Before we dive into how dry needling helps, let’s first define the condition.

What are Tension Headaches?

One of the most common headache types is a tension headache, which results from a muscle imbalance caused by the following chronic concerns:

We often hear tension headache patients describe pressure starting at the neck and often radiating to the top of the head and eyes, or behind the ear and into the cheek.

Treating Tension Headaches with TDN

One randomized controlled trial published in Medicine compared trigger point dry needling with sham dry needling in 168 patients with chronic tension-type headache. The results suggest that for patients with chronic tension-type headaches, TDN is a safe and effective technique to reduce headache frequency, duration, and intensity.

Additionally, the treatment group receiving trigger point dry needling reported significantly more improvement in health-related quality of life.

Another randomized clinical trial in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies compared dry needling with friction massage in 44 patients with tension headaches. While both treatment techniques reduced headache frequency and intensity, TDN reduced pain threshold significantly more than the use of friction massage.

Tension headaches don’t have to take control of your life or keep you from the activities you enjoy. With the right treatment methods, you can alleviate the symptoms of your chronic tension headaches and minimize the occurrence of headaches, as well.

The therapists at SET Physical Therapy are trained in trigger point dry needling and are here to help you get rid of your headaches, no matter what kind. Contact us today to create a custom treatment program and start living a pain-free life.