The addition of diacutaneous fibrolysis to a pharmacological intervention in patients with tension-type headache: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most common headache worldwide. Pharmacological interventions are the most investigated therapies in patients with TTH. The addition of physical therapy treatments such as diacutaneous fibrolysis (DF) may have promising results. The aim of this study was to investigate the addition of three sessions of DF to a pharmacological intervention in patients with TTH. Methods: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial was carried out. Participants were randomly assigned to the standard care group or to the DF group. Both groups received a pharmacological intervention. Three sessions of DF in the thoracic and cervicocranial region were added in the DF group. The impact caused by headache (HIT-6), headache intensity, and cervical range of motion were measured by blinded assessors at baseline, after the intervention, and at 1 month follow-up. Results: Eighty-two patients with TTH were included (41 standard care group; 41 DF group). Statistically significant differences were found between both groups in all the variables after the intervention and at 1 month follow-up (p < 0.001). No adverse effects or side-effects were reported during the study. Conclusions: The addition of three sessions of DF to a pharmacological therapy provided improvements in the impact caused by headache, headache intensity, and cervical range of motion after the intervention and at 1 month follow-up compared to a pharmacological therapy in isolation. Further research is needed to investigate long-term effects.