--- title: Does dry cupping reduce premenstrual headaches? | Niyora description: Yes. Dry cupping combined with cervical traction significantly reduced premenstrual headache pain and impact. Improvements were maintained for at least two me url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-dry-cupping-on-physical-symptom-of-headache-in-premenstrual-syndrome-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does dry cupping reduce premenstrual headaches? Randomised trial, 2024 # Does dry cupping reduce premenstrual headaches? Yes. Dry cupping combined with cervical traction significantly reduced premenstrual headache pain and impact. Improvements were maintained for at least two menstrual cycles. Moderate study design Young women aged 18-26 with premenstrual headaches ## What they did Young women aged 18-26 with premenstrual headaches were randomly divided into two groups. One group received cervical traction alone. The other group received dry cupping combined with cervical traction. Outcomes were measured using headache scales and questionnaires for four menstrual cycles. ## What they found Both groups showed significant improvement in headache impact scores from baseline to follow-up. The improvement was maintained for two cycles in the dry cupping group. Daily headache severity and impact scores showed high statistical improvement (p=0.0001) from baseline to post-intervention. ## What it means for you Dry cupping appears helpful for premenstrual headaches. However, the study gave both treatments to the cupping group, making it unclear whether the improvement came from the cupping or the cervical traction or both. 18-26 age range of participants in years 4 menstrual cycles tracked p=0.0001 statistical significance for symptom improvement ## About the study Original title Effect of Dry Cupping on Physical Symptom of Headache in Premenstrual Syndrome among Females within 18-26 years : A Randomised Clinical Trial Authors Saima Shaikh -, Ashwini Bulbuli Journal International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research Year 2024 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Dry cupping combined with cervical traction vs cervical traction alone Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.10997](https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.10997) Original abstract BACKGROUND: Premenstrual syndrome or PMS are a group of psycho neuroendocrine condition whose cause is not known often experienced prior to menstruation. PMS symptoms are varied with prevalence of premenstrual headache of nearly 43%. Numerous evidences for management of PMS in general are available however literature on specific management of premenstrual headache is unavailable. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of dry cupping on physical symptom of headache in the premenstrual syndrome using Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP), Headache Impact test (HIT-6) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) METHODS: Females within 18-26 years who complained of premenstrual headache and were willing to participate were included. Subjects were recruited and randomly divided into two groups. Outcome measures used were Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) and Headache Impact test (HIT-6). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used pre and post intervention. Group A was given cervical traction whereas group B was given dry cupping and cervical traction. DRSP and HIT-6 were recorded for four cycles. RESULTS: The mean of demographic data suggested that both the group were homogenous at the baseline in terms of age and BMI. HIT-6 mean scores when compared from baseline to 2nd follow up for both the groups demonstrated statistically significant outcome. This improvement was maintained for over a period f two cycles in group B. DRSP and VAS mean scores were compared from baseline to post intervention showed high statistically significant improvement (p=0.0001) CONCLUSION: The study concludes that dry cupping is an effective tool for immediate to long term reduction of premenstrual headache symptoms. Reproduced under CC-BY-SA. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Randomised trial, 2026 Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? Randomised trial, 2026 Does yoga reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Do vitamin D and E supplements reduce menstrual pain and PMS symptoms? Systematic review, 2025 Does digital healthcare help manage period pain and PMS? Cohort study, 2025 Do women with PMS or PMDD report lower quality of life than women without these conditions? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗