Headache is well recognized as a prevalent
condition, with tension-type being the most common form.
While not life-threatening, tension-type headache (TTH)
is life-altering, and poses a substantial burden to
society. This is measured in lost work days, decreased
productivity, considerable health care costs, and impaired
quality of life for not only TTH sufferers, but for
their colleagues, employers, friends and families as
well.
The broad, long-term objective of the proposed research
is to identify clinical and cost-effective treatment
strategies for TTH sufferers. The proposed pilot study
will lay the foundation for a much needed full-scale
randomized clinical trial assessing the relative clinical
efficacy of massage and self-care education
for the prophylaxis of TTH. The proposed research
is a two-group, parallel design, observer-blinded, randomized
pilot study with the following
specific aims:
- To determine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale
randomized clinical trial to assess the relative efficacy
of massage and self-care education for tension-type
headache (TTH).
- To assess if individuals with
TTH experience clinically important changes after
a 10-week therapeutic massage regimen, by measuring
pre- and post-treatment outcomes in a prospective
clinical case series embedded within the randomized
pilot study.
- To describe, using qualitative techniques:
- Participants' experiences with massage
as a treatment for TTH.
- Massage therapists' experiences providing
treatment for TTH.
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