RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
A1 Sedlackova, Zuzana
A1 Vita, Martin
A1 Herman, Jan
A1 Furst, Tomas
A1 Dornak, Tomas
A1 Herman, Miroslav
T1 Elasticity of neck muscles in cervicogenic headache
JF Biomedical papers
YR 2022
VO 166
IS 3
SP 328
OP 333
DO 10.5507/bp.2021.030
UL https://biomed.papers.upol.cz/artkey/bio-202203-0012.php
AB Aim. To compare the elasticity of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles in patients with cervicogenic headache and in healthy volunteers. Methods. The medical history of 23 patients with cervicogenic headache was taken with a focus on pain characteristics. Elasticity of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles was measured by using shear wave elastography. Results were then compared with 23 healthy volunteers. Results. The sternocleidomastoid muscle was significantly stiffer in patients with cervicogenic headache compared to healthy volunteers. The stiffness increased gradually from the parasternal area, where it was negligible, to the area near the mastoid process where it reached over 20 kPa. There was no difference in the stiffness of the trapezius muscle. The stiffness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle does show a significant dependence on headache characteristics (e.g., laterality, severity, or frequency). Conclusion. The results of this pilot study show that patients with cervicogenic headache have a higher stiffness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle than healthy volunteers. These findings suggest that elastography could be used as a diagnostic tool in cervicogenic headache.