• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.117-123
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• 2020

Purpose : VDT (visual display terminal syndrome) can affect individuals who monitor or who work or play using video screens, including those of smartphones. In general, headache symptoms from overuse of these screens can appear due to eye fatigue, muscle pain in the joints of wrists or fingers, and muscle pain in the neck or shoulders. Many studies in the literature have supported standards that seek to prevent these symptoms. The incidence of musculoskeletal diseases caused by the use of smartphones is expected to increase rapidly, particularly among children and young adults, and these diseases are expected to develop into a societal problem. Therefore, in this study we investigate whether tension headaches that develop from smartphone usage can affect forward neck posture, neck pain, and quality of life. Methods : A total of 93 students from University participated in this study. We divided participants into two groups, those with tension headaches (n = 25) and those without (n = 68) and took forward neck measurements. Headaches were classified according to criteria from the International Headache Society and involved bilateral headache position, quality of pressing or tightening pain, mild or moderate pain intensity, and none due to daily physical activity. We surveyed participants using the smartphone addiction diagnosis questionnaire, the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and the Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results : Although we found no significant differences in tension headaches due to smartphone addiction diagnosis (p = 0.25), SF-36 life quality assessment (p = 0.06), and cranio-vertebral angle (p = 0.07), we found significant differences from the HIT-6 and the NDI (p <.05). Conclusion : Tension headaches are not correlated with smartphone addiction, quality of life, and forward neck angle but do have a correlation with the degree of cervical dysfunction and the effects of the headaches.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.215-221
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• 2020

Objective: Tension-type headaches usually occur with temporomandibular disorder, which increases the risk of the chronic tension-type headaches. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of additional temporalmandibular therapy compared to cerivcal joint therapy for tension-type headaches with pericranial tenderness. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Forty-one patients with chronic tension-type headaches and pericranial tenderness were randomized into the 3 groups, such as the temporomandibular joint therapy group (TMJT group, n=14), cervical manual therapy group (CMT group, n=14) and conservative therapy group (CT group, n=13). All patients were assessed at baseline and after each intervention during the three sessions. The participants in the TMJT group received the temporomadibular joint treatment and cervical manual therapy for 30 minutes, once a week, for 3 weeks. The participants in the CMT group received the cervical manual therapy, and those in the CT group received modalities during same time period. The outcome measurements used were the intensity of headaches measured on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), quality of life measured with the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and function of the cervical spine using the Neck Diability Index (NDI). Results: The TMJT group that received temporomandibular joint treatment and cervical manual therapy showed a significant decrease in VAS, HIT-6, and NDI compared with the other 2 groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggected that temporomandibular joint treatment combined with cervical manual therapy was more effective for the chronic tension-type headaches with pericranial tenderness than the usual cervical therapy alone.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.195-200
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this case report is to describe the effect of Korean medicine therapy on patients with tension-type headaches. Methods: This study consisted of four patients with tension-type headaches. The patients were treated with Korean medicine therapies, such as herbal medicine (Gunoe-tang), acupuncture, and cupping, in addition to physical therapy. None of the patients took any analgesics during the admission period. To evaluate the effects of the treatment, the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for headaches was used. Results: After the treatment, the patients' complaints decreased, as shown by the results of the NRS. Conclusion: Treatment with Korean medicine may ameliorate tension-type headaches.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.56-60
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• 2002

Objective: Various psychological factors influence the occurrence of tension-type headaches. The aim of this study is to compare the level of alexithymia between tension-type headache patients and normal controls. Methods: Sixty-six subjects with tension-type headaches and 59 controls were studied. The Beck Depression Inventory and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K) were administered to the tension-type headache group and TAS-20K to the normal control group. Results: Compared with normal controls, the tension-type headache group had significantly higher alexithymia scores. There was also significant association between the level of alexithymia and the severity of the depression in tension-type headache patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that patients with tension-type headaches have difficulty in expressing their emotions. And in patients with tension-type headaches, the more alexithymic they are, the more depressive.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.202-209
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of temporomandibular joint and cervical vertebra treatment in persons with tension-type headaches on pain, tenderness, and functional improvement. Design: Three-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: Subjects with tension-type headaches were divided into the temporomandibular joint and cervical vertebra treatment group (n=11), temporomandibular joint treatment group (n=11), and cervical vertebra treatment group (n=11), and pre- and post-evaluation was performed. The temporomandibular joint treatment group underwent compression massage and joint ply of the muscles around the temporomandibular joint. The cervical vertebra group received deep tendon massage and Myofascial Release of the cervical muscles. The temporomandibular joint and cervical vertebra treatment group performed both types of treatment. Treatment was performed for 50 minutes, three times a week for 4 weeks. Measurement tools included the Korean version of the short form-McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ, K), Headache Impact test-6 (HIT-6), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and the Digital Algometer FPX25. Results: The groups showed significant differences in SF-MPQ, HIT-6 test, NDI, and Alogometer FPX25 test scores before and after intervention (p<0.05). The differences between the groups were most significant in the group that received treatment of the temporomandibular joint and cervical vertebra (p<0.05). Conclusions: In this study, the treatment of the temporomandibular joint and cervical vertebra was shown to be effective for improving pain, quality of life, and cervical vertebra in persons with tension-type headaches. This data may be helpful in identifying treatment techniques for tension-type headaches in the future.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.1897-1902
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• 2019

Background: Tension-type headaches, which make up the highest proportion of headaches, are prone to develop into chronic tension-type headaches (CTTH). The characteristic of CTTH in patients is that the active myofascial trigger point (ATrP) which causes pain in the muscles of the back of the head is increased, compared to the normal headache and moves the head position forward. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of myofascial release (MFR) and posture correction in effectively improving neck function and sleep quality in the symptoms of CTTH patients. Design: Observer-blind study Methods: To reduce ATrP, MFR was applied and exercise was also applied to correct posture. The subjects of this study were 48 individuals randomly divided into three groups; The MFR group using the MFR technique; The MFR with exercise group subject to both the MFR technique and forward head position correction exercises (MFREx), and the control group. MFR and MFREx groups were given the relevant interventions twice a week for four consecutive weeks, and went through the number ATrPs, range of motion (ROM) of neck, Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after the intervention. A physical therapist, who was fully familiar with the measuring methods of the equipment, was the measurer and not aware of the target's condition was blinded to take measurements only before and after intervention. Results: There was a significant improvement in the ATrP, Neck ROM, NDI and PSQI in the group of patients to whom the MFR technique and MFREx were applied. MFREx was more effective in increasing neck mobility. Conclusions: According to this study, the application of MFR is effective in improving neck movement and sleep quality in chronic tension headache patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.145-154
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• 2023

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis on the craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headaches in adults with a forward head posture and tension headache. METHODS: In this single-blinded, randomized, controlled, comparative study, a total of 22 adults with forward head postures and tension headaches were randomly assigned to the experimental group (sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis, n = 11) or the control group (sling exercise without a neck orthosis, n = 11). All participants undertook the sling exercise program (3×/week for 4 weeks). The craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headache were measured before and after the 4-week training. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in the craniovertebral angle, muscle tension, and headache in the experimental group (p < .05). This group also showed a larger decrease in the muscle tension and headache (upper trapezius, -4.97 Hz vs -1.70 Hz, p < .05; splenius capitis, -5.44 Hz vs -2.54 Hz, p < .05; headache, -19.73 score vs -14.64 score, p < .05, respectively). CONCLUSION: The sling exercise wearing a neck orthosis could be an effective way to relieve the symptoms caused by a forward head posture. It could also be a more effective way of decreasing muscle tension and headaches than the sling exercise without wearing a neck orthosis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2023

Purpose: Headache is a very common disease experienced at least once in daily life, and tension-type headaches have a high and increasing prevalence. Chronic headaches can cause functional damage and huge socioeconomic impacts. This study aimed to compare the effects of myofascial release technique with manual therapy and self-myofascial release technique using a foam roller on the pain threshold and body schema in patients with chronic tension-type headaches. Methods: The study was conducted on 20 patients living in Busan with chronic tension headaches. Myofascial release technique with manual therapy was performed on the suboccipital, sternocleidomastoid, scalene, and upper trapezius muscles. The self -myofascial release technique using a foam roller was applied to the cervical and thoracic muscles. A laterality test was performed using a recognized neck application developed to evaluate body schema ability. A pressure-pain threshold test was performed using an electronic pressure algometer to compare the results before and after the myofascial release technique. Results: After applying myofascial release with manual therapy and a foam roller, the pressure-pain threshold values showed significant changes in both groups (p<.05). As a result of the laterality test, myofascial release with manual therapy and a foam roller were applied to the painful area. The values showed significant changes in both groups (p<.05), but only the group using the foam roller showed a significant difference (p<.05) in painless areas. Conclusion: The myofascial release technique with manual therapy can be the primary treatment technique for pain control in painful areas. The self-muscle release technique using a foam roller can be an effective method when there is no pain or when maintenance is needed after pain control.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2006

Objectives : Headache is a clinical symptom that more than 90% of all individuals experience during their life time. This article provides a current concept of tension-type and migraine headaches and summarizes the effects of biofeedback treatment and/or relaxation techniques. Methods : The following terms were used for Pubmed/Medline search : biofeedback, relaxation, physiological, behavioral, nonpharmacological, headache, tension-type headache, and migraine. A review of references from relevant literature was also conducted to collect reports not identified in the Pubmed/Medline search. Interviews with experts on biofeedback were also included in this review. Results : Headache is a psychophysiological symptom that can be treated by some behavioral interventions including biofeedback and relaxation. Literatures on biofeedback and/or relaxation have consistently reported significant therapeutic effects on headaches. Important factors that we have to consider, when we apply to headache patients with biofeedback and relaxation techniques, were also presented. Conclusion : The available evidence suggests that biofeedback and relaxation techniques are effective treatments for the patients with headaches and can be provided to the patients as monotherapy or combination therapy with medication.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.354-363
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• 2006

Headaches are common in children and become more common and increase in frequency during adolescence. There are various causes of headaches. The majority of cases are considered as primary and include migraine and tension headaches. The rational evaluation of headache begins with careful history. Migraine is genetically determined recurrent pain syndrome accompanied by neurological and gastrointestinal features, involving interaction of external triggers and internal pathophysiology and the causes of considerable disability to suffers. Establishing the correct diagnosis is essential for successful treatment. Treatment of pediatric migraine includes an individually tailored regimen of both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic measures.