Neck pain associated with migraines does not necessarily mean cervical dysfunction

(HealthDay) – Neck pain doesn’t necessarily indicate cervical musculoskeletal dysfunction in migraines, according to a study recently published online in Headache.

Zhiqi Liang of the University of Queensland in St. Lucia, Australia, and colleagues conducted a single-blind cross-sectional study with 124 migraineurs (106 with episodic migraines; 18 with chronic migraines), 32 healthy controls, and 21. by people with idiopathic neck pain. Participants were assessed with a series of measurements for cervical range of motion and accuracy, segmental joint dysfunction, and neuromuscular and sensorimotor function.

The researchers identified two different clusters of cervical musculoskeletal function: a neck function similar to that in healthy controls and a neck dysfunction similar to that in people with neck pain (108 and 69 people, respectively). Of the subjects with migraines, 76 (62 with and 14 without neck pain) had normal cervical musculoskeletal function and 48 with neck pain had cervical dysfunction comparable to neck disease. No association between musculoskeletal dysfunction and hypersensitivity or symptoms of pain was observed during the test.

“This underscores the need for an individualized, qualified assessment of cervical musculoskeletal function in order to differentiate between a central and a peripheral origin of neck pain or a combination of both,” the authors write. “One should not rely solely on pain or tenderness, which often reflects the general hypersensitivity to pain that is common in those with migraines.”

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citation: Neck pain with migraine, not necessarily cervical dysfunction (2021, August 9), accessed August 9, 2021 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-neck-pain-migraine-necessarily-cervical.html

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