In a comprehensive six-month randomized controlled trial conducted at the Chiropractic Research Center of Macquarie University, researchers, led by P. J. Tuchin, et. al.,(2000) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in treating migraine. The trial, comprising three stages, involved data collection before and after a two-month treatment period, comparing outcomes between an SMT group and a control group.

A total of 127 volunteers aged 10 to 70 years, diagnosed with migraines according to International Headache Society standards (minimum one migraine per month), were recruited through media advertising. The SMT group underwent two months of chiropractic SMT, employing the diversified technique with a maximum of 16 treatments, while the control group received no intervention.

Participants maintained standard headache diaries throughout the trial, recording migraine frequency, intensity (visual analogue score), duration, disability, associated symptoms, and medication use for each episode.

The treatment group (n = 83) exhibited statistically significant improvements in migraine frequency (P < .005), duration (P < .01), disability (P < .05), and medication use (P < .001) compared to the control group (n = 40). Notably, 22% of participants reported a more than 90% reduction in migraines following the two months of SMT, with approximately 50% more participants experiencing significant improvement in the morbidity of each episode.

This study reinforces prior findings indicating that chiropractic SMT can lead to significant improvements in migraines for certain individuals. Importantly, over 80% of participants identified stress as a major contributing factor to their migraines. This suggests that chiropractic care may exert a positive influence on physical conditions associated with stress, resulting in a reduction of migraine effects in these individuals. The results underscore the potential of chiropractic SMT as a valuable therapeutic option for migraine management, shedding light on its positive impact on both frequency and severity of episodes.

Reference: Tuchin, P. J., Pollard, H., & Bonello, R. (2000). A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 23(2), 91-95.