Impact of Movement Control Training Using a Laser Device on the Neck Pain and Movement of Patients with Cervicogenic Headache: A Pilot Study

This study verified the effect of movement control training using a laser device on the neck pain and movement of patients with cervicogenic headache. A total of twenty outpatients recruited from two Busan hospitals were equally divided into two groups. The experimental group underwent movement control training with visual biofeedback, while the control group performed self-stretching. Both groups received therapeutic massage and upper cervical spine mobilization. A four-week intervention program was also conducted. Measurement tools including the cervical flexion-rotation test, visual analog scale, Headache Impact Test-6, pressure pain threshold, range of motion, sensory discrimination, and Neck Disability Index helped assess the participating patients before and after the intervention. Additionally, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney U test helped determine inter and intra-group variations, respectively, before and after the intervention. Most of the measurement regions revealed significant changes post-intervention within the experimental group, while only the cervical flexion-rotation test, visual analog scale, Headache Impact Test-6, and Neck Disability Index indicated significant changes post-intervention within the control group. There were also considerable inter-group differences. Thus, movement control training using a laser device more effectively improves neck pain and movement of patients with cervicogenic headache.

Effect of 4 Weeks of Cervical Deep Muscle Flexion Exercise on Headache and Sleep Disorder in Patients with Tension Headache and Forward Head Posture

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of flexion exercise of the deep cervical muscles on headache and sleep disorders in patients with tension headaches and forward head posture. A total of 32 patients with tension headaches and forward head posture were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group (n = 16) and a control group (n = 16). The experimental group performed cervical deep muscle flexion exercises for 4 weeks, whereas the control group performed stretching exercises for the same period. The Henry Ford Hospital Headache Disability Inventory (HDI) was used for headache assessment, and the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-K) was used for sleep disorder assessment. The experimental group showed a significant reduction in both HDI and PSQI-K score after 4 weeks of intervention (p < 0.001), while no significant difference was found in the control group (p > 0.05). On comparing the experimental and control groups, we found a significant difference in changes in the HDI and PSQI-K between the groups (p < 0.05). The results indicate that flexion exercise of the deep cervical muscles in patients with tension headache and forward head posture will improve the quality of life and activities of daily life by mitigating headaches and sleep disorders.