The influence of osteopathic correction on liquorodynamics in patients with tension-type headache

Introduction. Tension-type headache (TTH) is known to be the most common type of headache in all age groups. The guidelines of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, the Italian Guidelines for Primary Headaches and the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation report that non-pharmacological therapies are valid adjunctive treatments for TTH. Previous studies have shown that the use of general osteopathic treatment in patients with TTH is accompanied by a significant decrease in the severity of pain syndrome and asthenic condition. We did not find any scientific publications devoted to the objectification of the results of osteopathic correction in TTH using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).The aim of the study was to objectify the results of osteopathic correction by assessing changes in the liquor dynamics of the posterior cranial fossa in patients with tension-type headache.Materials and methods. The study was conducted from December 2020 to December 2021 at the clinic of the Center for New Medical Technologies, Novosibirsk. There were under the observation 10 patients with an established diagnosis of TTH aged from 18 to 55 years, 4 men, and 6 women. All patients before the start of treatment and after the course completion were assessed for their osteopathic status and underwent high-field MRI 3T of the brain with the calculation of the posterior cranial fossa restriction index (CFRI). CFRI reflects the state of liquorodynamics at the level of the skull base and shows the level of freedom in the relationship between fluid spaces and brain tissues. Study participants received a course of osteopathic correction, which included 3–4 procedures with an interval of 5–7 days. The observed patients did not receive any other therapy during the study period.Results. The examined patients were most characterized by regional biomechanical disorders (RBD): head (9); neck, structural component (5); thoracic, visceral component (5); dura mater region (9). In terms of severity, mild RBD prevailed (1 point). After treatment, patients have a decrease of the detection frequency of major regional somatic dysfunctions (SD). Statistically significant differences (p<0,05) were obtained in the SD incidence of head region; neck region, structural component; thoracic, visceral component; dura mater region. A statistically significant (p<0,05) increase in the mean CFRI from 30,22±0,63 to 31,78±0,73 % was found after the treatment.Conclusion. The results of the high-field MRI with the study of CFRI allow to quantitatively assess the changes of the cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in patients with tension-type headache, and it can be used as an objective criterion for the osteopathic correction results and the therapy clinical effectiveness. The study should be continued with a more representative sample.