The muscle-specific massage therapy technique used in this study has the potential to be a functional, nonpharmacological intervention for reducing the incidence of chronic tension headache.
Both GM and TM treatments resulted in an improvement of subjective measures associated with CTS, but improvement in grip strength was only detected with the TM protocol. Massage therapy may be a practical conservative intervention for compression neuropathies, such as CTS, although additional research is needed.
ABSTRACT:Complementary and alternative medicine approaches to treatment for tension-type headache are increasingly popular among patients, but evidence supporting its effi cacy is limited. Th e objective of this study was to assess short term changes on primary and secondary headache pain measures in patients with tension-type headache (TTH) receiving a structured massage therapy program with a focus on myofascial trigger point therapy. Participants were enrolled in an open label trial using a baseline control with four 3-week phases: baseline, massage (two 3-week phases) and follow-up. Twice weekly, 45-minute massage sessions commenced following the baseline phase. A daily headache diary was maintained throughout the study in which participants recorded headache incidence, intensity, and duration. Th e Headache Disability Index was administered upon study entry and at 3-week intervals thereaft er. 18 subjects were enrolled with 16 completing all headache diary, evaluation, and massage assignments. Study participants reported a median of 7.5 years with TTH. Headache frequency decreased from 4.7±0.7 episodes per week during baseline to 3.7±0.9 during treatment period 2 (P<0.001); reduction was also noted during the follow-up phase (3.2±1.0). Secondary measures of headache also decreased across the study phases with headache intensity decreasing by 30% (P<0.01) and headache duration from 4.0±1.3 to 2.8±0.5 hours (P<0.05). A corresponding improvement in Headache Disability Index was found with massage (P<0.001). Th is pilot study provides preliminary evidence for reduction in headache pain and disability with massage therapy that targets myofascial trigger points, suggesting the need for more rigorously controlled studies.
T ension-type headache (TTh) is a dull aching headache that affects a large percentage of the population to varying degrees; it frequently resolves with time or over-the-counter analgesics. however, for some individuals, the regularity of headache persists to a clinical condition that is recognized as either episodic or chronic, the difference based primarily on the frequency of attack with the episodic form occurring fewer than 15 days per month and the chronic form 15 or more days per month 1 . The episodic form of TTh affects between 20-42% of the population while the chronic form affects 2.5-3% 2,3 . The authors of a recent review article concluded that worldwide disability attributable to headache is greater for TTh than other classifications including migraine headache 4 . The personal burden associated with these clinical forms of TTh can be substantial as it encompasses physical suffering alongside the personal economic effect from lost work days, which in turn perpetuate psychological symptoms such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Yet while TTh is the most prevalent form of headache and has a considerable impact on quality of life, treatment avenues have been under-investigated 5 . Moreover, due to the pervasive nature of TTh, pain measures alone that are typically used in the current literature provide incomplete information about the impact of headache on these associated psychological aspects.On average, perceived stress is higher in individuals who report chronic daily headache than in a healthy population 6 . Although recurrent TTh sufferers have similar physiological responses to laboratory stressors, they report a greater number of everyday stresses or daily "hassles" than do matched non-headache control subjects 7,8 . Furthermore, stressful events are appraised as more stressful for recurrent TTh sufferers than for headachefree subjects 7 . Stress is also the most frequent headache trigger with 88% of patients from the general population in urban and rural areas reporting this variable as a cause for ensuing headache 9 . Finally, stress has been noted to exacerbate headache symptoms; and minor everyday stressors, rather than major life abstract: Investigations into complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches to address stress, depression, and anxiety of those experiencing chronic pain are rare. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the value of a structured massage therapy program, with a focus on myofascial trigger points, on psychological measures associated with tension-type headache. Participants were enrolled in an open-label trial using a baseline control with four 3-week phases: baseline, massage (two 3-week periods) and a followup phase. Eighteen subjects with episodic or chronic tension-type headache were enrolled and evaluated at 3-week intervals using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale. The Daily Stress Inventory was administered over 7-day periods during baseline and the final week of massage. Twice we...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.