Forward head posture and neck mobility in chronic tension-type headache: a blinded, controlled study.
Forward head posture (FHP) and neck mobility were objectively assessed in 25 patients with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) and 25 healthy controls. Side-view pictures were taken in a sitting position to measure the cranio-vertebral angle. A cervical goniometer was employed to measure the range of all cervical motions. Patients with CTTH showed a smaller cranio-vertebral angle (45.3 degrees +/- 7.6 degrees) than controls (54.1 degrees +/- 6.3 degrees), thus presenting a greater FHP (P < 0.001). Patients also had lesser neck mobility for all cervical movements, except for right lateral flexion (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between the cranio-vertebral angle and neck mobility. Within the CTTH group, a negative correlation was found between the cranio-vertebral angle and headache frequency, but neck mobility did not correlate with headache parameters. Further research is needed to define a potential role of FHP and restricted neck mobility in the origin or maintenance of TTH.
Department of Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain. cesarfdlp@yahoo.es
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Fernández-de-las-Peñas
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Alonso-Blanco
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Cuadrado
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Pareja
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000503:physiopathology*