1987 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 220-231
Muscle contraction headache is commonly treated in Oriental medicine, but there are various clinical problems involved. In the present study, electromyograms obtained at muscle fibers in the frontal belly and trapezius in patients with such headaches were compared with those in healthy controls.
Electrical discharge from the upper muscle fibers of the trapezius was increased in patients during exercise of the neck and the Amefuri test. In contrast, there was no difference in findings at the frontal belly between patients and controls. When the patients were treated by acupuncture, headache improved, and the pattern of electrical discharge from muscle fibers approximated to that for healthy controls.
Thus, observation of electromyograms at the upper muscle fibers of the trapezius provides a useful criterion for diagnosing headache of this type and can serve as an index for judging the efficacy of treatment by acupuncture and moxibustion.