PMID- 29266633
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20181003
LR  - 20181004
IS  - 1471-2865 (Electronic)
IS  - 1358-2267 (Linking)
VI  - 23
IP  - 2
DP  - 2018 Apr
TI  - The effect of myofascial release and microwave diathermy combined with 
      acupuncture versus acupuncture therapy in tension-type headache patients: A 
      pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
PG  - e1700
LID - 10.1002/pri.1700 [doi]
AB  - BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nonpharmacological therapies for tension-type headache 
      (TTH) and cervicogenic cephalalgia are often a treatment choice, despite the weak 
      to moderate evidence. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 
      an acupuncture/stretching protocol versus acupuncture/stretching plus 
      physiotherapy techniques, in patients with TTH cephalalgia. METHODS: A 
      single-blind, prospective, multicentre, randomized controlled trial was designed 
      considering the pragmatic situation of administering such protocols and treating 
      the 44 headache patients participating in this study. The patients were randomly 
      assigned in 2 treatment groups (control group, n = 20, acupuncture/stretching; 
      experimental group, n = 24, acupuncture/stretching plus physiotherapy) and 
      completed 10 treatment sessions within 4 weeks with measurements taking place 
      before treatment, after the fifth treatment and after the 10th treatment. The 
      mechanical pressure pain threshold (PPT) was considered as the main outcome 
      measure, using a mechanical algometer to measure 7 bilateral somatic points. 
      Acupuncture in both groups included 17-20 acupuncture points, whereas stretching 
      was initially taught and subsequently self-administered (self-stretches), 
      following a standardized set of movements of the cervical spine. Physiotherapy 
      consisted of microwave diathermy and myofascial release with hands-on techniques. 
      RESULTS/FINDINGS: An improvement was noted in both groups/treatments regarding 
      the main outcome measure PPT, all the way from the first to fifth and the 10th 
      treatment, at all measuring sites and at all measurements in both groups 
      (p < .001). When comparing the 2 groups, differences were noted after the 10th 
      treatment (p < .05). DISCUSSION: In conclusion, patients with TTH headache were 
      benefited from acupuncture and stretching but further PPT improvements were 
      evidenced when physiotherapy hands-on techniques were added. In clinical terms, 
      the combination of physiotherapy in the form of myofascial release and microwave 
      diathermy with acupuncture and stretching in order to improve the analgesic 
      effect (PPT) is strongly recommended.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FAU - Georgoudis, George
AU  - Georgoudis G
AD  - Musculoskeletal & Chest Physiotherapy Research Laboratory, Department of 
      Physiotherapy, Athens University of Applied Sciences, Greece.
AD  - PhysioPain Group, Pain Management & Physiotherapy, Athens, Greece.
FAU - Felah, Bledjana
AU  - Felah B
AD  - PhysioPain Group, Pain Management & Physiotherapy, Athens, Greece.
AD  - MSc in Pain Management, Department of Social Medicine & Psychological Health, 
      University of Ioannina, Greece.
FAU - Nikolaidis, Pantelis
AU  - Nikolaidis P
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-8030-7122
AD  - Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Nikaia, Greece.
FAU - Damigos, Dimitrios
AU  - Damigos D
AD  - MSc in Pain Management, Department of Social Medicine & Psychological Health, 
      University of Ioannina, Greece.
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Multicenter Study
PT  - Randomized Controlled Trial
DEP - 20171220
PL  - United States
TA  - Physiother Res Int
JT  - Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians 
      in physical therapy
JID - 9612022
SB  - IM
MH  - Acupuncture Therapy/*methods
MH  - Adult
MH  - Combined Modality Therapy
MH  - Diathermy/*methods
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Massage/methods
MH  - Microwaves/therapeutic use
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Myofascial Pain Syndromes/rehabilitation
MH  - Pain Management/*methods
MH  - *Pain Measurement
MH  - Pain Threshold
MH  - Physical Therapy Modalities
MH  - Prognosis
MH  - Prospective Studies
MH  - Risk Assessment
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
MH  - Single-Blind Method
MH  - Tension-Type Headache/diagnosis/*rehabilitation
MH  - Treatment Outcome
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - acupuncture
OT  - mechanical pain threshold
OT  - microwave diathermy
OT  - myofascial release
OT  - physiotherapy
OT  - stretching
OT  - tension-type headache
EDAT- 2017/12/22 06:00
MHDA- 2018/10/04 06:00
CRDT- 2017/12/22 06:00
PHST- 2017/03/21 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2017/10/06 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2017/11/18 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2017/12/22 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2018/10/04 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/12/22 06:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1002/pri.1700 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Physiother Res Int. 2018 Apr;23(2):e1700. doi: 10.1002/pri.1700. Epub 2017 Dec 
      20.