Assessing the Effectiveness of Two Treatment Strategies for Tension-type Headache

Assessing the Effectiveness of Two Treatment Strategies for Tension-type Headache

The primary aim of the pilot data proposal is to compare usual care (medications) versus multi-disciplinary treatment in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients.

The primary aim of the pilot data proposal is to compare usual care (medications) versus multi-disciplinary treatment in TMD patients with episodic or chronic tension-type headache (TTH) with pericranial tenderness involving the temporalis muscle at reducing the intensity of TTH pain at 1 and 6 months. The hypothesis is that a team approach will reduce the intensity of headache more than usual care in this group of patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

Fifty consecutive subjects (Age 18 to 65) will be included when they fulfill the diagnostic criteria for episodic or chronic TTH with pericranial muscle tenderness3 and TMD including myofascial pain involving the temporalis muscle -

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion criteria, assessed by review of medical history, include:

• systemic rheumatic disease
• widespread pain
• pregnancy
• concurrent use of tricyclic antidepressants, steroids, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, or narcotics
• major psychiatric disease
• any medical contraindications