Objectives: To study the efficacy of manual therapy in the treatment of tension-type headache (TTH) by assessing the quality of randomised control trials (RCTs) published from the year 2000 to April 2013.Methods: A search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE, EBSCO, CINAHL, SCO-PUS, PEDRO and OVID. An analysis was made of RCT including patients with TTH receiving any manual therapy, and assessing outcome measures including the intensity, and frequency or duration of the headache. Two independent referees reviewed the methodological quality of RCTs using the Jadad scale. Data from the studies were extracted by two different reviewers.Results: A total of fourteen RCTs were selected. Twelve studies showed acceptable quality (Jadad scale ≥3), and the remaining 2 had low quality (Jadad = 2). The studies showed positive results, including reduction in headache intensity and/or frequency, reduction of medication consumption, and improvement in quality of life. Conclusions:The effectiveness of manual therapy for TTH cannot be completely assessed due to the heterogeneity in study design, outcome measures, and different treatments. Nevertheless, the results suggest patients with TTH receiving manual therapies showed better progress than those receiving conventional treatment or placebo. Further studies of high quality using ଝ Please cite this article as: Lozano López C, Mesa Jiménez J, de la Hoz Aizpurúa JL, Pareja Grande J, Fernández de las Peñas C. Eficacia de la terapia manual en el tratamiento de la cefalea tensional. Una revisión sistemática desde el año 2000 hasta el 2013. Neurología. 2016 http://dx.

The effectiveness of manual therapy for TTH cannot be completely assessed due to the heterogeneity in study design, outcome measures, and different treatments. Nevertheless, the results suggest patients with TTH receiving manual therapies showed better progress than those receiving conventional treatment or placebo. Further studies of high quality using manual therapy protocols, and also including standardized outcome measures, are now needed to clarify the efficacy of manual therapy in the management of TTH.

Facial anatomical structures are not easily accessible to manual palpation. The aim of our study is to objectively assess temporomandibular joint and perimandibular muscles dimensions by means of sonographic measurements before and after dry needling (DN) in asymptomatic subjects. Seventeen subjects participated in this before-after study with a within-subject control. After random allocation, one side of the face was used for the intervention and the contralateral as control. DN was performed on the temporal, masseter, and sternocleidomastoid muscles. Each subject was examined bilaterally before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention through Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging (RUSI) of the temporomandibular articular disc and the three target muscles. Maximum mouth opening was measured at baseline and at one month. After a single DN session, articular disc thickness significantly decreased; muscles’ thicknesses (except for temporal thickness) significantly decreased immediately and at follow-up on the treated side; no significant changes resulted for the control side. The maximum mouth opening increased from 4.77 mm to 4.86 mm. RUSI may be useful to assess the dimensions and thickness of the temporomandibular disc and muscles before and after an intervention. DN influences muscle morphology, and it has a positive influence on mouth opening in the short term.

No abstract