Effects of Exercise and Relaxation Techniques on Tension Headache Pain Parameters of University Students

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Tension-Type Headache
• Interventions: Behavioral: Combined treatment Autogenic Training + Cervical exercises and postural correction; Behavioral: Relaxation technique Autogenic Training

• Registration Number: NCT02264340
• Lead Sponsor: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Brief Summary

Tension headache is a common disabling disease and a worldwide public health problem. This research tries to demonstrate the efficacy of physical therapy, based on cervical training and postural self-correction instructions, which aims to increase the positive results obtained from traditional relaxation techniques (Schultz Autogenic Training). University students are selected, because headaches are very common in this sector of the population. The design is a non-pharmacological randomized controlled trial, with blinded evaluation of the response variables. The investigators compare two independent samples. One of them receives an only treatment (Autogenic Training) and the other group receives a combined program (Autogenic Training + specific cervical exercises and postural correction). Pain parameters (frequency, intensity and duration) and drug consumption are measured before treatment, and then, at 4 weeks and 3 months, to value the results.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2010-09
• Primary Completion: 2010-12
• Study Completion: 2011-03
• Status Verified: 2014-10
• Study First Submitted: 2014-10-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-10-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-10-14
• Study First Posted: 2014-10-15
• Last Update Posted: 2014-10-15

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 152

Inclusion Criteria

• College students of Complutense University of Madrid, diagnosed with frequent episodic or chronic tension-type headache (according to the criteria of International Headache Society (IHS)).

Exclusion Criteria

• Cases with other headaches
• Students with excessive state anxiety and / or trait anxiety (≥ 85 percentile, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory )
• Students that had received treatment for tension headache, based on physical exercise or relaxation techniques, in the last 6 months.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental	Combined treatment Autogenic Training + Cervical exercises and postural correction	Combined treatment
Control	Relaxation technique Autogenic Training	Relaxation technique

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Frequency	4 weeks	Days with headache, during 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Intensity	4 weeks	Pain intensity (VAS: 1-10)
Duration	4 weeks	Hours a day with headache
Medication	4 weeks	Days in which person takes drugs for pain, during 4 weeks