Effect of manual therapy techniques on headache disability in patients with tension-type headache. Randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most common type of primary headache however there is no clear evidence as to which specific treatment is most effective or whether combined treatment is more effective than individual treatments.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of manual therapy techniques, applied to the suboccipital region, on aspects of disability in a sample of patients with tension-type headache.


METHODS
Randomized Controlled Trial.


METHODS
Specialized centre for headache treatment.


METHODS
Seventy-six (62 women) patients (age: 39.9 ± 10.9 years) with episodic chronic TTH.


METHODS
Patients were randomly divided into four treatment groups: 1) suboccipital soft tissue inhibition; 2) occiput-atlas-axis manipulation; 3) combined treatment of both techniques; 4) control. Four sessions were applied over 4 weeks and disability was assessed before and after treatment using the Headache Disability Inventory (HDI). Headache frequency, severity and the functional and emotional subscales of the questionnaire were assessed. Photophobia, phonophobia and pericranial tenderness were also monitored.


RESULTS
Headache frequency was significantly reduced with the manipulative and combined treatment (P<0.05), and the severity and functional subscale of the HDI changed in all three treatment groups (P<0.05). Manipulation treatment also reduced the score on the emotional subscale of the HDI (P<0.05). The combined intervention showed a greater effect at reducing the overall HDI score compared to the group that received suboccipital soft tissue inhibition and to the control group (both P<0.05). In addition, photophobia, phonophobia and pericranial tenderness only improved in the group receiving combined therapy (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
When given individually, suboccipital soft tissue inhibition and occiput-atlas-axis manipulation resulted in changes in different parameters related to the disability caused by TTH. However, when the two treatments were combined, effectiveness was noted for all aspects of disability and other symptoms including photophobia, phonophobia and pericranial tenderness.


CONCLUSIONS
Although individual manual therapy treatments showed a positive change in headache features, measures of photophobia, photophobia and pericranial tenderness only improved in the group that received the combined treatment suggesting that combined treatment is the most appropriate for symptomatic relief of TTH.
Department of Physical Therapy University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain - deborah.falla@bccn.uni-goettingen.de.
G V
GV
Espí-López
C
C
Rodríguez-Blanco
A
A
Oliva-Pascual-Vaca
J C
JC
Benítez-Martínez
E
E
Lluch
D
D
Falla
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012001:Hyperacusis / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D026201:Musculoskeletal Manipulations / Q000379:methods*; D020795:Photophobia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013030:Spain; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*