The authors of this study call it “chiropractic” spinal manipulation therapy (CSMT), and Gonstead is indeed a chiropractic technique. But generic spinal manipulation is not specifically chiropractic; it is also used by DOs and physical therapists. The evidence for the effectiveness of “chiropractic” or SMT for migraine is mixed. Considering the flaws of the positive studies (notably the absence of a credible placebo control group) and the results of this new study, I think it is reasonable to conclude that chiropractic and/or SMT have little or no role to play in the treatment of migraine.
I asked Sam Homola, and here’s what he said:
In my own experience as a chiropractor, I felt that a patient in the throes of a migraine headache got more immediate relief from medication than from any kind of physical treatment. Although spinal manipulation can have some neurophysiological effects, I was never able to determine that manipulating the spine or correcting a subluxation was an effective treatment for a migraine that might be caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals.
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