Pericranial muscle hardness in tension-type headache

Abstract

Using a new method to measure the hardness of pericranial muscles, the role of muscle factors in tension-type headache was evaluated. In 223 normal healthy subjects, the hardness of trapezius muscles was 82 +/- 15 kPa/cm (mean +/- SD). The muscle hardness in women, 92 +/- 17 kPa/cm, was significantly greater than that in men, 74 +/- 14 kPa/cm (P < 0.01). Trapezius muscles were significantly harder than paraspinal posterior neck muscles measured at the level of the fifth cervical vertebra (71 +/- 13 kPa/cm; n = 26) but a significant correlation in muscle hardness did exist between these two muscle groups (r = 0.89, P < 0.001). Muscle hardness did not show a significant correlation with advancing age, blood pressure or subjective feeling of stiffness in the shoulder. A significant correlation was noted between the muscle hardness measured by the present method and the stiffness scores evaluated by manual palpation. In patients with tension-type headache (n = 60), the hardness of trapezius muscles, 114 +/- 24 kPa/cm (mean +/- SD), was significantly greater than that in normal subjects (P < 0.01). Twenty-six patients (43% of the total) showed significantly high values which exceeded the mean +/- 2 SD (113 kPa/cm) of the normal value, while the remaining patients (57%) constituted a high normal group. The hardness of posterior neck muscles measured in 27 patients (99 +/- 21 kPa/cm) was also significantly greater than that in normal subjects (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in muscle hardness between episodic tension-type headache and chronic tension-type headache.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Assessing muscle spasticity with Myotonometric and passive stretch measurements: validity of the Myotonometer

“…As tonic muscle contraction has a substantial influence on muscle compliance1025, current assessment of muscle compliance from only the relaxed condition may limit the generalizability of our findings. Future studies examining muscle compliance at different contraction levels may provide new information on the validity of the Myotonometry technique.…”

“…Muscle compliance obtained from the Myotonometer reflects the degree of muscle deformation with respect to the compression applied perpendicularly to the muscle1025. Thus, it characterizes the viscoelastic properties of individual muscles, particularly the superficial ones.…”

“…Thus, it characterizes the viscoelastic properties of individual muscles, particularly the superficial ones. Muscle tonic contraction is one of the primary contributors to changes of muscle compliance625, which correlates well with different activation levels and strength620242627. Other physiological parameters that are associated with muscle compliance include composition of muscle fiber types, fascicle length, pennation angle, etc 152829…”

“…Such change was also observed in all other subjects. It is assumed that the larger tissue displacement appears in the more superficial tissues before the muscle is compressed2425. Therefore, muscle displacement in this study was defined as the resistance varied from 1 kg to 2 kg.…”

Effects and predictors of shoulder muscle massage for patients with posterior shoulder tightness

“…The assessment of the muscle tightness can be longitudinal or transverse to the muscle [21-24]. A computerized myotonometer (Neurogenic Technologies, Inc) was used to measure the transverse tightness of the muscles.…”