Neck Pain- and Unsteadiness-Inducing Activities and their Relationship to the Presence, Intensity, Frequency, and Disability of Headaches

Abstract

<jats:p>(1) Background: Headache is a significant public health problem. Despite the association between headache and neck pain, little is known about the relationships among specific activities that generate neck pain and headache. The aim of this study was to identify the specific activities that result in neck pain and unsteadiness, and determine how they are linked to headache in university students. (2) Methods: One hundred and six patients with physician-diagnosed headache and 92 healthy university students completed surveys assessing demographics; the presence, frequency, intensity, and disability of headaches; and activities generating neck pain and unsteadiness. (3) Results: The presence of headache was related to female gender (p = 0.001), neck pain when reading or watching television (p = 0.024), and unsteadiness when moving the head (p = 0.005). Headache-related disability was associated with intensity of neck pain (p &lt; 0.001), neck pain when reading or watching television (p = 0.033), and stumbling (p &lt; 0.001). Headache frequency was related to smoking (p = 0.004), the duration of neck pain-associated symptoms (p = 0.047), and neck pain when driving (p = 0.039). Intensity of headache was associated with female gender (p = 0.002), smoking (p = 0.013), and neck pain-related sleep alterations (p = 0.024). (4) Conclusions: Female gender, smoking, neck pain, and unsteadiness when moving the head are factors related to headache in university students.</jats:p>

Misperception of Visual Verticality in Patients with Primary Headache Disorders: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

“…The main reason for these results possibly reflects the important role that cervical, vestibular, and visual structures play in both the perception of verticality and the physio-pathological processes of primary headaches. A recent study revealed the concomitance of neck pain-generating activities, instability-inducing activities, and primary headaches, where high visual attention-demanding activities are essential in this process [ 59 ]. VV misperception in patients with PHD may be facilitated by alterations in some of the three systems involved in forming the pattern of central verticality (vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems).…”