Complementary and alternative therapies for tension-type headache: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most common form of primary headache with high prevalence, which affects the quantity of life seriously. The pharmacological treatment of TTH is not the most effective. Meanwhile, complementary therapies and alternative therapies play an essential role in the treatment of TTH, and there is an absence of comparison between various interventions. Therefore, we propose the network meta-analysis protocol to compare the efficacy and safety of various complementary therapies and alternative therapies for TTH. METHODS: From the beginning to February 2021, we will search the database to collect randomized controlled trials of complementary and alternative therapies for TTH. Two researchers will be responsible for screening retrieve documents, extracting data. The risk of bias will be assessed based on the Cochrane bias risk tool. We will use STATA16.0 and WinBUGS1.4.3 for paired meta-analysis and Bayesian network meta-analysis. The quality of evidence will be assessed using the grading of recommendations assessment development and evaluation. RESULTS: This study will compare and rank the efficacy and safety of various complementary and alternative treatments for TTH. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide more extensive evidence for the complementary and alternative therapies of TTH. We expect to assist clinicians and patients in choosing the optimum treatment. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202130088.