The AAO Journal, 2024/06, 34(2):16-17. doi: 10.53702/i2375-5717-34.2.16, type of study: ,cr,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Full text    (https://meridian.allenpress.com/aaoj/article/34/2/16/500954/LBORC-NUFA-Poster-Abstracts-2024-Students)

Keywords:

case report [736]
chronic pain [324]
headache [164]
male [860]
OMT [3924]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3945]

Abstract:

Introduction/Background: Chronic headaches are enigmatic due to multi-faceted origins - leading to a lack of treatment effectiveness. This case presentation demonstrates the value of osteopathic diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for chronic headache management, by addressing 1) Somatic dysfunction of thoracic and cervical spine, and ribs; 2) Cranial strain patterns and suture compression; and 3) Sinus congestion. Case: A 47-year-old male patient with the chief complaint of chronic headaches (over a year in duration), reported plans for early retirement due to pain rated six out of ten in severity. His allopathic physician had investigated these headaches and diagnosed Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. Physical therapy offered limited relief. At our clinic, he described his headache pain as daily, often localized to his right temple with intermittent pain on the right side of his jaw, associated with facial and neck tension, aggravated when bending over. Osteopathic evaluation revealed somatic dysfunction in the thoracic and cervical spine, an elevated right first rib, tissue texture change at the right occipitomastoid suture, suboccipital hypertonicity, and pain during sinus palpation. Based on these diagnoses, we hypothesized our patient’s headaches could be treated by addressing each component. Results: The patient tolerated treatment well, and at his 2-week follow-up, reported his headache severity was 2 out of 10. One month later, the patient reported no headaches. Discussion: This case demonstrates the need to use our palpatory skills to diagnose and treat the probable causes of chronic headaches. The relevance of this study is the duration of pain suffered by our patient until they sought Osteopathic diagnosis and care. Future research is needed to stratify the causative mechanisms of headaches and efficacy of OMT.