Impaired postural control in patients affected by tension-type headache

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Physical Therapy
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Chronic tension-type headache (TTH) affects a significant portion of the population.
• Pericranial muscle tenderness is a common symptom in TTH patients.
• Postural control is crucial for maintaining balance and preventing falls.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether TTH patients have disturbed postural control compared to healthy individuals.
• To identify specific patterns of body sway associated with TTH using spectral frequency analysis.
• To explore the potential link between proprioceptive input and TTH.

Main Methods:

• Static Posturography (S.Ve.P. Amplaid) was used for postural analysis.
• Spectral frequency analysis of body sway was performed in both open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE) conditions.
• Student's t-test was employed for statistical analysis of data.

Main Results:

• Significantly increased body sway was observed in TTH patients at low and middle frequencies on the antero-posterior plane (p < 0.01).
• Increased body sway was also noted at low frequencies on the lateral plane (p < 0.05) for TTH patients.
• Results suggest a proprioceptive disturbance in TTH patients, potentially related to chronic muscle contraction.

Conclusions:

• TTH patients demonstrate impaired postural control, characterized by altered body sway patterns.
• The findings suggest a proprioceptive deficit in TTH, likely associated with pericranial muscle issues.
• Posturography with spectral analysis may serve as a valuable tool for TTH diagnosis and treatment follow-up.