Comparative Study with EMG, Pressure Algometry and Manual Palpation in Tension-Type Headache and Migraine

Cephalalgia ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 451-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Sandrini ◽  
F Antonaci ◽  
E Pucci ◽  
G Bono ◽  
G Nappi

According to International Headache Society classification criteria, the presence of pericranial muscle disorder in tension-type headache should be evaluated using one of the following methods: EMG, pressure algometry or manual palpation. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of these three methods in 15 patients with episodic tension-type headache, 29 with chronic tension-type headache and 22 presenting migraine without aura compared to those obtained in healthy individuals. Algometric and EMG recordings at the frontalis muscle during mental arithmetic were more impaired in episodic and chronic tension headache patients than in controls and migraine patients. Chronic tension headache patients were significantly impaired at the trapezius muscle in all three tests compared to controls. Our data indicate that when two or three tests were carried out the diagnostic capacity was significantly improved in comparison to only one test. Moreover, since a different pattern could be seen with pain and without pain, the existence of headache at the time of testing should be taken into consideration.

Cephalalgia ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
LE Inan ◽  
F Cankat Tulunay ◽  
A Guvener ◽  
G Tokgoz ◽  
N Inan

We evaluated the characteristics of headache in migraine without aura and episodic tension-type headache diagnosed according to the International Headache Society (IHS) Classification. Fifty migraine without aura and 50 tension-type headache patients were selected prospectively. Fifty-eight percent of migraineurs had pain of a pulsating quality; 88% had severe pain and 74% had unilateral pain; aggravation by routine physical activity was reported by 96%. Episodic tension-type headache was of a pressing quality in 52%, moderate in 40%, bilateral in 82% and aggravated by routine physical activity in 16%. Nausea and/or vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia were reported significantly more commonly in migraineurs than tension-type headache patients.


2016 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 269-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Panconesi

ABSTRACTAlcoholic drinks (ADs) have been reported as a migraine trigger in about one-third of the migraine patients in retrospective studies. Some studies found that ADs trigger also other primary headaches. The studies concerning the role of ADs in triggering various types of primary headaches published after the International Headache Society classification criteria of 1988 were reviewed, and the pathophysiological mechanisms were discussed. Many studies show that ADs are a trigger of migraine without aura (MO), migraine with aura (MA), cluster headache (CH), and tension-type headache (TH). While data on MO and CH are well delineated, those in MA and TH are discordant. There are sparse reports that ADs are also triggers of less frequent types of primary headache such as familial hemiplegic migraine, hemicrania continua, and paroxysmal hemicrania. However, in some countries, the occurrence of alcohol as headache trigger is negligible, perhaps determined by alcohol habits. The frequency estimates vary widely based on the study approach and population. In fact, prospective studies report a limited importance of ADs as migraine trigger. If ADs are capable of triggering practically all primary headaches, they should act at a common pathogenetic level. The mechanisms of alcohol-provoking headache were discussed in relationship to the principal pathogenetic theories of primary headaches. The conclusion was that vasodilatation is hardly compatible with ADs trigger activity of all primary headaches and a common pathogenetic mechanism at cortical, or more likely at subcortical/brainstem, level is more plausible.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harley B Messinger ◽  
Egilius LH Spierings ◽  
Arnaud JP Vincent

Using questionnaire data from two recent surveys, headache sufferers were classified as having either migraine, episodic, or chronic tension-type headache using the International Headache Society criteria. Of 410 subjects with a headache history of 2 years or more, 147 or 35.9% were assigned Code 1.7 (migrainous disorder not fulfilling the above criteria) or Code 2.3 (headache of the tension-type not fulfilling above criteria). In 79 of these 147 subjects (53.7%), either of the above codes would have been equally valid. Separate scores for “migraine” and “tension” symptoms may provide a way to handle this overlap and aid in choosing optimal therapy.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Shimomura ◽  
H Kowa ◽  
T Nakano ◽  
A Kitano ◽  
H Marukawa ◽  
...  

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a radical-scavenging enzyme. We determined Cu, Zn-SOD concentrations and activities in platelets from subjects with migraine and tension-type headaches. Thirty migraine without aura (MWoA) patients, 9 migraine with aura (MWA) patients, and 53 tension-type headache patients were selected for study. Thirty healthy volunteers composed the control group. Concentrations of platelet SOD were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques. The activity of platelet SOD was determined by measuring reductivity of nitroblue tetrazolium. Low concentrations of platelet SOD were found in patients with MWA and MWoA. Platelet SOD activity decreased in MWA patients but not in patients with MWoA or tension-type headaches. These findings suggest vulnerability to oxidative stress in patients with migraine. It is suggested that low platelet SOD levels may play an important role in the etiology of migraine.


2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 873-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asdrubal Falavigna ◽  
Alisson Roberto Teles ◽  
Maíra Cristina Velho ◽  
Viviane Maria Vedana ◽  
Roberta Castilhos da Silva ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, characteristics and impact of headache among university students. METHOD: The criteria established by the International Headache Society were used to define the primary headache subtypes and the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire (MIDAS), to assess the disability. The students were then grouped into six categories: [1] migraine; [2] probable migraine; [3] tension-type headache; [4] probable tension-type headache; [5] non-classifiable headache; [6] no headache. RESULTS: Of all undergraduate students interviewed, 74.5% had at least one headache episode in the last three months. Regarding disability, there was a significant difference between the headache types (p<0.0001). In the post-hoc analysis, migraine was the headache type with most reported disability. CONCLUSION: Headache is a highly prevalent condition among the students at the University of Caxias do Sul. This disease may have a major impact on the students' lives and in some cases, ultimately lead to educational failure.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Pradalier ◽  
P Hamard ◽  
E Sellem ◽  
L Bringer

Glaucoma is a common ocular disorder; a high intraocular pressure is observed in the majority of glaucoma (HIOPG) cases, but some patients have low-tension glaucoma (LTG). In the literature, some works link LTG and migraine, which is speculative of a potential role of a vasospastic factor or diathesis common to migraine and LTG. Using a standardized questionnaire based on International Headache Society (IHS) criteria, we investigated 954 glaucoma patients; 320 (33.5%) described a headache (migraine or tension-type headache) and 240 (25.1%) presented the IHS criteria for migraine. Migraine prevalence was not significantly different between HIOPG and LTG patients (22.8% and 32%, respectively) in this study.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Bendtsen ◽  
R Jensen ◽  
NK Jensen ◽  
J Olesen

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the reliability of tenderness evaluation can be increased by using a new technique called “pressure-controlled palpation” (pcp). The technique has been made possible by a newly invented piece of equipment called a palpometer, with which a pressure-sensitive plastic film attached to the index finger records the pressure exerted. In 15 patients with chronic tension-type headache and in 15 healthy volunteers, 2 investigators studied myofascial tenderness using conventional palpation and pressure-controlled palpation. Tenderness was scored on a 4–point scale in each of the examined pericranial regions. The sum of tenderness scores recorded by two observers using conventional palpation differed significantly ( p = 0.0003), while results did not differ between observers using pressure-controlled palpation ( p = 0.89). During palpation with seven different pressure intensities a positive and linear relation between pressure and pain intensity was found ( p = 0.00006). Pain intensity reported by the subjects correlated highly with tenderness scored by the observer (rs = 0.95, p < 0.0001). These results demonstrate for the first time that tenderness scores can be compared between observers if palpation pressure is controlled. Pressure-controlled palpation represents a major improvement on current palpation techniques and should be standard in future research on myofascial pain disorders.


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