Role of Cervical Alignment-Specific Exercises in Cervicogenic Headache- An Open Label - Comparative Study Balne Naveen Kumar1, Ansari Juveria2, Gadde Laxmana Prasad3, Jabeen Afshan4, Waghray Sunith5 1Faculty, Dept. of Physiotherapy, NIMS 2Post Graduate Student, Neurosciences, NIMS 3Faculty, Dept. of Physiotherapy, NIMS 4Additional Professor, Dept. of Neurology, NIMS 5Faculty, Dept. of Physiotherapy, NIMS *Corresponding author: Naveen Kumar Balne, Faculty lecturer, Department of Physiotherapy, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Punjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana, India-500082, E-mail: suninaveen@yahoo.co.uk
Online published on 11 July, 2019. Abstract Background Cervicogenic headache sufferers complain of headache and neck pain. They present with changes in biomechanics of cervical spine. This study aims to find the role of alignment specific exercises in cervicogenic headache. Study Method After ethical clearance and informed consent, 60 eligible subjects were allocated based on sagittal radiograph into 3 groups 1. Straightened spine, 2. Kyphotic spine and 3. Normally aligned spine. Examination includes neck range of motion, numeric pain rating scale, neck disability scores and cervical core endurance. They had alignment specific exercises and assessed on day 1, end of 4th and 6th weeks. Results Out of 60 subjects, 24 had a straightened spine while 19 had normal and 17 had kyphotic spines. At end of 6 weeks, all groups responded to individualized treatment. The straightened spine group had an improvement in all parameters except the Craniocervical flexion test score which was better in the normal group. Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Neck Disability Index reduced significantly. Performance index of Craniocervical flexion test and Range of Motion improved in all. The percentage of test positives in Cervical Flexion Rotation Test dropped in all the groups. Conclusion The study concludes that alignment specific exercises have a significant role in decreasing the severity of cervicogenic headaches. Each group individually had good improvements but between groups the response was statistically not different. Top Keywords C1- C2 mobility, cervical flexion rotation test, cervical spine alignment, cervicogenic headache, craniocervical flexors, craniocervical flexion test. Top |