SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2025
Comparative safety and efficacy of manual therapy interventions for cervicogenic headache: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Ultrasound-guided needle-knife release for treatment-refractory cervicogenic headache: a case report.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2026Article
- Tuina Combined with Acupuncture and Other Therapies for Treating Cervicogenic Headache: A Network Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate and compare the safety and efficacy of spinal manipulation, mobilization, and massage for the management of cervicogenic headache (CGH) using meta-analytic techniques. Methods: Comprehensive searches were conducted in Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify studies investigating the effects of manipulation, mobilization, and massage on pain, disability, and physical function in patients with CGH. Key outcomes included pain severity (visual analog scale, VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), Flexion-Rotation Test (FRT), and Headache Disability Inventory (HDI) at various follow-up timepoints. Results: Fourteen studies totaling 1,297 CGH patients were included. Standard pairwise meta-analysis revealed that sustained natural apophyseal glides (SNAG) mobilization produced significantly greater improvements compared to non-SNAG interventions in VAS (MD = 1.73, 95%CI: 1.05, 2.40), NDI (MD = 8.55, 95%CI: 2.73, 14.37), FRT (MD = -7.22, 95%CI: -9.38, -5.07), and HDI (MD = 9.29, 95%CI: 3.64, 14.95), with benefits maintained over time. Network meta-analysis showed that for VAS improvement, the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) probabilities were: cervical spine manipulation (CSM, 98.9%), mobilization (67.3%), exercise (21.0%), and massage (12.8%). For NDI, the SUCRA scores were: CSM (82.2%), mobilization (57.2%), exercise (6.7%), and massage (53.9%). CSM exhibited significantly greater VAS reductions compared to exercise, massage, and mobilization, while mobilization was superior to exercise and massage for VAS. For NDI, CSM was significantly better than exercise, but no other between-group differences were observed. Conclusion: In patients with CGH, SNAG mobilization can significantly improve pain and function, with benefits maintained in the long-term. Additionally, CSM may be the most effective short-term intervention for reducing pain and disability compared to mobilization, massage, and exercise, although clinician expertise appears to be an important factor. Systematic Review Registration: DOI: 10.37766/inplasy2025.3.0079.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.