The Headache and Neck Pain Clinic

09/12/2025

Do allergies increase the risk of migraine?

A recent meta-analysis of high quality studies looked at nearly 15 million people. Those with allergies were at significantly greater risk of migraines. The allergies that posed the greatest risks were atopic dermatitis (affecting the skin), asthma, allergic rhinitis (involving the nose) and allergic conjunctivitis (affecting the eyes).

What do these allergies share with migraine? The immune system and the trigeminal nerve

Prevention is always better than a cure: reduce or avoid exposure to allergens to reduce the likelihood of triggering a migraine.

Huang X, Jiang Y, Huang X, Shen Y, Wang Y, Wang X, Xu C. The Association between Allergic Diseases and Migraine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2025;186(12):1166-1175. doi: 10.1159/000545625 (https://karger.com/iaa/article/186/12/1166/925247/The-Association-between-Allergic-Diseases-and)

Abstract. Introduction: This study aimed to systematically review and summarize epidemiological evidence on the relationship between allergic diseases and migraine outcomes. Methods: This meta-analysis, which was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420250656492), employed data from PubMed, Embase, the Coch...

02/12/2025

Can neck manipulation help TMJ pain?

A recent study found that neck manipulation combined with exercises significantly reduced TMJ pain and improved the ability to open the mouth

Qu J, Qian Y, Zhang Y, Chen B, Wang R, Bao J, Huang X, Lu Y. Efficacy of manipulation and therapeutic exercise applied to the neck region of patients with temporomandibular disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2025 Dec;126(6S):102530. doi: 10.1016/j.jormas.2025.102530 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468785525003167?via%3Dihub)

18/10/2025

Effectiveness of musculoskeletal manipulations in patients with neck pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

A new systematic review and network meta-analysis (a very high standard of evidence) has found that neck manipulations (also called adjustments) are superior to other manual treatments for improving range of movement, and the most effective at reducing neck pain, in combination with other treatments, such as manual therapy and soft-tissue treatments.

(Gong Z, Liu W, Gao Y, Chen S, Feng X, Li J, Li W, Wu X. Effectiveness of musculoskeletal manipulations in patients with neck pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2025 Oct 13;15(10):e098682. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-098682. PMID: 41083306; PMCID: PMC12519666 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/10/e098682.long)

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27/09/2025

Does cervical manipulation (a.k.a. adjustment) cause injury to cervical arteries that result in stroke? This systematic review and meta-analysis of studies, published in the Stroke and Vascular Neurology journal (part of the British Medical Journal), and authored by highly respected researchers, found that cervical manipulation does not pose a risk.

Jacobs W, Wright DS, Pohlman K, Rosenbaum R, Hutten BA, Scholten-Peeters GG, Haldeman S, Ket JC, Rubinstein SM. Risk factors for cervical artery dissection: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Stroke Vasc Neurol. 2025 Sep 2:svn-2025-004186. doi: 10.1136/svn-2025-004186. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40866078

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12/09/2025

Spinal manipulation significantly reduces neck and back pain, and radiculopathy (pain down the arm or leg caused by nerve root irritation) in the short- and medium-term.

Efficacy of Spine High-Velocity-Low-Amplitude Thrust Manipulations in Patients With Radiculopathy: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2025.13103

12/09/2025

Manual therapy combined with exercises were clinically effective at reducing myogenous (soft-tissue-related) jaw pain, in combination or with manual therapy to the neck only. This is because the neck and jaw are inter-related.

Manual therapy and exercise targeted to the neck and orofacial regions for patients with orofacial pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) and exercise targeted to the neck or jaw and neck (combined) in the management of orofacial pain (OFP).The protocol was registe...