Two types of neck muscle therapy for tension headaches
Part of Brain & nervous system clinical trials.
This study compares two hands-on therapies—releasing the muscles at the base of your skull versus a massage-like tool treatment—to see which works better for reducing tension-type headaches. If you often get pressing headaches that aren't severe, this may help you find a new way to ease them.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You must be between 18 and 60 years old.
- You have episodic tension-type headaches (fewer than 15 headache days per month) for at least 3 months.
- Headaches last from about 30 minutes to a week and feel like tightness or pressure, not throbbing.
- Your headaches are not made worse by routine physical activity, and you do not have nausea or vomiting.
- You have tender knots (trigger points) in the muscles at the back of your head or upper shoulders.
- You have not had neck or skull surgery, and you do not have cancer, uncontrolled high blood pressure, severe depression, jaw joint problems, or serious headache symptoms (like fever or stiff neck).
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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