Economic value of physiotherapy interventions in headache management: a scoping review
Abstract
Background: Headache disorders impose a substantial economic burden. Health economic evaluations are vital for informing healthcare decisions by assessing the costs and benefits of interventions, including physiotherapy. Evaluating the cost-benefit impact of integrating physiotherapy into headache management is therefore essential.
Objective: To map studies including economic evaluations of physiotherapy interventions for headache management, defined as systematic comparisons of alternative treatments in terms of costs and outcomes.
Methods: Scoping review (PCC framework) conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, INHTA databases (April 2026). Adults with headache receiving physiotherapy were included. Economic evaluations and cost measures were extracted. Studies were screened in two stages and synthesised descriptively. Reviews, trials, cohort, case report, case-control studies in English, Dutch, German were considered (Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FVHXA ).
Results: Physiotherapy, as monodisciplinary, part of an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach, was only included in eight out of 1271 studies. Interventions varied by setting (inpatient/outpatient) and delivery (individual/group). Three studies conducted cost-effectiveness analyses. A multimodal, interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach reduced medication-use, consultations, inpatient admissions (direct), and improved work status (indirect). However, evidence is…
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