Imbalance and Tinnitus in Patients with Tension-Type Headache v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Imbalance and Tinnitus in Patients with Tension-Type Headache
IRAS ID
133652
Contact name
John McAuley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
133652, IRAS Project ID
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Headache of tension-type character (due to excess muscle tension in the scalp) is a very common symptom in the general adult population. While neck pain from arthritis or muscle spasm is well-established in relation to such headache, imbalance is a more controversial association.
In my clinical practice I have identified tinnitus as a further possible association. Contracting muscles normally set up subsonic vibrations called the Piper rhythm. This study hypothesises that in neck muscle spasm, transmitted vibrations of certain muscles near the ear are perceived as tinnitus.
In phase 1 of the proposed study, I will simply formally ask patients presenting to my General Neurology clinic with headache about additional imbalance and tinnitus symptoms. If these are significantly more common in patients with tension-type headache and neck muscle spasm than in patients without headache or in patients with migraine headache, this will suggest an association. The particular nature of imbalance and tinnitus in these patients will be characterised.
Phase 2 of the study will use electrodes painlessly placed on the skin of the neck for a few minutes to record electromyogram (EMG) activity of neck muscles. Computer software previously designed by me will perform frequency analysis of these signals, looking for differences between different patient groups. Samples of filtered EMG signal will be played as audio files to patients with tinnitus to see if they can match their own EMG signal to their tinnitus.
Imbalance and tinnitus are common and sometimes debilitating conditions. Identifying tension headache and neck muscle spasm as a cause in some patients may lead to new avenues of treatment. For example, patients with uncontrolled tinnitus may respond to management by physiotherapy on the neck, or by biofeedback from neck muscle activity.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0189
Date of REC Opinion
6 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion