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Chronic daily headache — defined as headache occurring on 15 or more days per month — is notoriously difficult to manage, and standard preventive medications often provide limited relief. Acupuncture has been increasingly studied as an alternative or complementary approach, but its longer-term preventive value for this specific condition had not been thoroughly synthesised.
Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, searching seven major databases for randomised controlled trials published up to September 2025. Twenty-two trials involving 1,449 adult patients were included, comparing acupuncture against various control interventions across a range of chronic daily headache subtypes.
Acupuncture significantly reduced headache frequency, the number of headache days, pain intensity, headache duration, and reliance on pain-relief medication both immediately after treatment and during follow-up periods. Benefits were consistent across chronic migraine and chronic tension-type headache subtypes, across treatment durations ranging from four to twelve weeks, and whether acupuncture was used alone or alongside medication.
The results suggest broad clinical applicability, though the authors acknowledge that the quality and heterogeneity of the included trials should be considered when interpreting findings.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides encouraging evidence that acupuncture can meaningfully and durably reduce the burden of chronic daily headache, supporting its use as both a standalone and adjunctive preventive strategy in adults.
Source: Nie Y, Jing R, Song Z et al. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42177613) · doi:10.12659/MSM.952359