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Published on: June 2, 2014
Prevalence of neck pain in migraine and tension-type headache: a population study
Sait Ashina1, Lars Bendtsen2, Ann C Lyngberg3
1Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA Department of Neurology, Headache Program, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA Danish Headache Center and Department of Neurology, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark sashina@chpnet.org.
Background:
We assessed the prevalence of neck pain in the population in relation to headache.
Methods:
In a cross-sectional study, a total of 797 individuals completed a headache interview and provided self-reported data on neck pain. We identified migraine, TTH or both migraine and TTH (M+TTH) groups. Pericranial tenderness was recorded in 496 individuals. A total tenderness score (TTS) was calculated as the sum of local scores with a maximum score of 48.
Results:
The one-year prevalence of neck pain was 68.4% and higher in those with vs. without primary headache (85.7% vs. 56.7%; adjusted OR 3.0, 95% CI 2.0-4.4, p<0.001). Adjusting for age, gender, education and poor self-rated health, in comparison with those without headaches, the prevalence of neck pain (56.7%) was significantly higher in those with M+TTH (89.3%), pure TTH (88.4%) and pure migraine (76.2%) (p<0.05 for all three group comparisons). Individuals with neck pain had higher TTS than individuals without neck pain (15.1±10.5 vs. 8.4±8.0, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
Neck pain is highly prevalent in the general population and even more prevalent in individuals with primary headaches. Prevalence is highest in coexistent M+TTH, followed by pure TTH and migraine. Myofascial tenderness is significantly increased in individuals with neck pain.
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