The efficacy of local anesthetic application to pericranial muscles in the treatment of episodic tension type headache in elderly population

Abstract

Aims:Tension Type Headache (TTH), which is one of the primary headaches, has episodic and chronic types. Peripheral and central nociceptive mechanisms plays a role in the pathogenesis of TTH. In the acute treatment of TTH, simple and combined analgesics, and antidepressants are used for preventive therapy, but new therapy options are needed. The aim of this study is to determine the therapeutic efficacy of local lidocaine injections to pericranial muscles in elderly patients with Episodic Tension Type Headache. Methods:Twenty-five patients with a diagnosis of episodic TTH over the age of 65 were included in the study. The patients received local 0.5% of lidocaine injections once a week for 4 sessions. Each patient received two injections to frontal muscles, temporal muscles, masseter muscles, sternocloidomastoid muscles, semispinalis capitis muscles, splenius capitis muscles and trapezius muscles bilaterally. The painful days, pain intensity (VAS-Visual Analog Scale) and the number of analgesics they had used were compared. Results:The median age of the patients were 67 (min-max: 65-80) years. The number of painful days, pain intensity (VAS -Visual Analogue Scale) and the number of analgesics they had used after injection were statistically significantly lower ( p < 0.05) . Conclusions:Local lidocaine injections into the pericranial muscles can be used as an effective method in the treatment of episodic TTH in the elderly. © Gülhane Faculty of Medicine 2019.