Physical Therapy in Tension-Type Headache: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

(1) Objective: The aim of this study is to synthesize the effects of physical therapy on pain, frequency, or duration management in the short, medium, and long term in adult patients diagnosed with Tension-type headache (TTH). (2) Background: Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most common headache with migraine and its pathophysiology and treatment has been discussed for years without reaching a consensus. (3) Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020175020). The systematic search for clinical trials was performed in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PEDro, Scopus, SciELO and Dialnet. Articles were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, regarding the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions on adult patients with TTH published in the last 11 years with a score ≥ 6 in the PEDro Scale (Physiotherapy Evidence Database). (4) Results: In total, 120 articles were identified, of which 15 randomized controlled trials were finally included in order to determine the inclusion criteria. Changes in pain intensity, headache frequency or headache duration of individual studies were described (5) Conclusions: This systematic review shows that there is no standardized physical therapy protocol for the approach to tension headache, although all the techniques studied to date address in one way or another the cranio-cervical-mandibular region. The approach to the cranio-cervical-mandibular region reports significant effects in terms of decreasing the intensity of pain and frequency of headache episodes in the short and medium term. More long-term longitudinal studies are needed.