Journal
PAIN
Volume 88, Issue 2, Pages 199-203Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00315-8
Keywords
tension-type headache; therapy; acupuncture; pressure pain threshold
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In order to examine the role of muscular mechanisms in chronic tension-type headache a study with needle acupuncture was performed. Needle acupuncture could be of therapeutic value because it has shown some positive effects in myofascial pain syndromes. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 39 patients (mean age 49.0 years, SD = 14.8) fulfilling the International Headache Society criteria for chronic tension-type headaches. Participants were randomly assigned to verum or placebo condition. Six weeks after end of treatment no significant differences between placebo and verum could be observed with respect to visual analogue scale and frequency of headache attacks. Nevertheless, pressure pain thresholds significantly increased for the verum group. The findings of our study support the hypothesis that peripheral mechanisms - such as increased muscle tenderness - only play a minor role in the pathogenesis of chronic tension-type headache. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available