Muscle Strength in Shoulder and Neck Muscles in Tension Type Headache Patients. Effect of Specific Strength Training

Danish Headache Center90 enrolled

Overview

Background: Tension Type Headache (TTH) is highly frequent and is of great socio-economic importance. Andersen et al. 2008 has shown that maximal muscle strength is reduced in women with trapezius myalgia. It is shown that specific strength training leads to prolonged pain relief. Aim:Test: To investigate the impact of TTH on shoulder, and neck muscle strength in patients with TTH compared to healthy controls. Intervention: To investigate the effect of specific strength training on patients with TTH compared with control group, receiving training in ergonomics. Method: Test part. 60 tension headache patients, 30 healthy. Muscle testing of neck and shoulder. Testing conducted by blinded research assistant. Intervention group: 60 patients with tension headache randomly assigned to the intervention group or control group. Intervention with specific strength training program runs for 10 weeks. The control group will be trained in ergonomics. 3 months follow up.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Tension-Type Headache

Interventions

The specific ST group trained and fulfilled a 10 week training diary. The ST consisted of 4 shoulder exercises. During the training the relative loading was progressively increased from 12 repetitions maximum (RM) (70% of maximal intensity) at the beginning to 8 RM (80 % of the maximal intensity). ST was performed with slow concentric and eccentric muscle contractions with resistance from the elastic bands.

Ergonomic and postureOTHER

The control group was instructed in ergonomics and posture correction (EP). They were instructed to pay attention to their sitting posture, and how they used a computer or other working tools. Further they were asked to do a posture correction exercise 3 times a day with 10 repetitions. The EP were seen twice during the 10 week period, and had a phone call every 2 weeks. After 10 weeks they were instructed that they should stop the exercise but continue to be conscious of their ergonomics and sitting position.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Tension-type headache(TTH), inclusion criteria were age between 18 and 65 years and for patients a diagnosis of TTH ≥8 headache days per month, and ≤3 migraine days per month according to ICHD-II -criteria. Exclusion Criteria: * Exclusion criteria were medication overuse headache (ICHD-II), previous whiplash or head trauma, other major physical or neurological diseases, depression, other mental illness, or being unable to understand and speak Danish. The patients were tested for cervicogenic headache according to Jull, et al 2007, and were excluded if the test was positive.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Headache frequency

Frequency was calculated and analyzed as days with headache pr. month. primary outcome at follow up.(19-22 weeks)

Time frame: Primary outcome headache frequency at (19-22 weeks)

Headache Duration

The duration of the headache was registered in hours for each day with headache.

Time frame: Primary outcome duration of pain at (19-22 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes

Intensity of headache

The intensity was registered on a 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) where 0 is no pain, and 10 is worst possible pain. It was calculated as intensity mean/week and a mean for 4 weeks were produced

Time frame: Intensity of pain at (19-22 weeks)

Medication intake

Use of pain medicine was registered as days of medicine intake throughout the entire trial.

Time frame: Medication intake at (19-22 weeks)