Objective: To investigate the relationship between the presence of active trigger points (TrPs), craniocervical posture, and clinical features (frequency, intensity, and duration) in patients with migraine.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Methods: Fifty patients with migraine (90% women; age, 34.1 years) participated. Clinical data regarding migraine (frequency, intensity, and duration) were obtained. Trigger points were bilaterally explored in the following muscles: masseter, suboccipital, temporalis (anterior, medium, and posterior fibers), sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and splenius capitis. Eight measures of head and neck posture were obtained from radiographs using the K-Pacs software.
Results: Individuals with migraine showed active and latent TrPs in all the muscles, the suboccipital, upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and temporalis muscles being the most affected. The results showed a relationship between the number of active TrPs and several x-ray outcomes, suggesting that the higher number of active TrPs was positively associated with a reduction in cervical lordosis and head extension of the head on the neck. No association between the number of active TrPs and clinical features of migraine was seen.
Conclusion: Our study supports the hypothesis that active TrPs are associated with reduced cervical lordosis and head extension in individuals with migraine.