SITE-SPECIFICITY OF PAIN AND TENSION IN TENSION-TYPE HEADACHES

Previous studies have not found a significant correlation between loca tion of pain and electromyogram levels in chronic headache patients. H owever, these studies only examined a limited number of muscle groups and did not assess subjective tension levels. The present study evalua ted a group of tension-type (n = 43) and migraine and tension-type (n = 30) headache patients. Measures were obtained at five muscle sites ( frontalis, temporalis. masseter, splenius capitis, and trapezius) for patient ratings of headache pain, patient ratings of muscle tension, a nd electromyogram recordings cross-sectionally. Neither subjective pai n nor tension ratings were found to be significantly related to electr omyogram levels. The site-specificity relationship between chronic hea dache pain, subjective report of muscular tension, and electromyogram levels remains unclear.