Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if the severity of headache is reduced by decreasing hamstring tension in patients with tension headache. Thirty patients participated in this study. The participants were randomly allocated to two groups: hamstring relaxation program (HR) group (n = 15) and control group (n = 15). The participants in the HR group participated in a HR program for 25 min per day, three times per week, for a period of 4 weeks, and the control group participated in an electrotherapy for 25 min per day, three times per week, for a period of 4 weeks. Both groups participated in a self-myofacial release for 5 min per day, three times per week, for a period of 4 weeks. Headache was evaluated using the headache impact test (HIT-6) and visual analog scale (VAS). The pain pressure threshold (PPT) was evaluated using a digital pressure algometer. The range of motion (ROM) was evaluated using a goniometer and two special tests: straight leg raise test (SLRT) and popliteal angle test (PAT). The two groups showed no significant differences in terms of age, sex, height, and weight. The VAS and HIT-6 scores (p < 0.05) and neck and hamstring PPT showed significant improvements (p < 0.05). Neck flexion ROM and SLRT and PAT scores showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in both groups, and the HR group showed significantly more improvements than the control group. This study confirmed that the HR program has positive effects on tension headache and is a good intervention for alleviating headaches in patients with tension headache.
Highlights
The tension-type headache (TTH) suffers from a still unclear classification and unclear pathophysiological mechanisms
The experimental results showed that all items were homogeneous in the hamstring relaxation program (HR) group and the control group (Table 1)
In their study involving 20 patients with tension headache, Bezov et al [26] reported that the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score decreased significantly from 27.6 points to 18.4 points as the tension in the upper trapezius and suboccipital muscles decreased (p < 0.05)
Summary
The tension-type headache (TTH) suffers from a still unclear classification and unclear pathophysiological mechanisms. Tension-type headache is described as a headache that evokes a sensation of the head being compressed or squeezed but without any underlying medical cause. It is mainly caused when the sympathetic nerve is provoked by abnormal autonomic nerves and constriction of blood vessels in the head and neck due to factors such as muscle tension, stress, fatigue, and lack of sleep [3]. The intensity and frequency of tension in the myofascial tissue of the muscles around the skull are found to be higher in patients with chronic tension headache than in healthy people [5]. When the muscles around the neck are tensed, the muscles in the limbs are tensed [3]
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