Migraine and tension headache: A meta-analytic review

The relative efficacy of several psychological treatments for headache were compared to each other and to the effects of medication placebo using a procedure known as meta-analysis, and showed that frontal EMG biofeedback alone, or combined with relaxation training, or relaxation training alone were equally effective and significantly superior to medication placebo.

Abstract

The relative efficacy of several psychological treatments for headache were compared to each other and to the effects of medication placebo using a procedure known as meta-analysis. Results showed that, for migraine headache, temperature biofeedback alone, relaxation training alone, or temperature biofeedback combined with autogenic training were equally effective and significantly superior to medication placebo. For tension headache, the results showed that frontal EMG biofeedback alone, or combined with relaxation training, or relaxation training alone were equally effective and significantly superior to medication placebo or psychological placebo. The latter two do not differ but are significantly superior to continued headache monitoring only.