Immediate Effects of Head and Neck Myofascial Release on Pain and Neck ROM in Middle-Aged Adults with Chronic Tension-Type Headache

Purpose: This study compared the effects of myofascial release therapy and self-stretching on pain and neck range of motion in adults with chronic tension-type headache to provide foundational data for effective intervention strategies.Methods: Twenty-four participants were assigned randomly to either an experimental group receiving myofascial release therapy (n= 12) or a control group performing self-stretching only (n= 12).The pain intensity was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), and neck ROM was measured in flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation before and after the interventions.The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the immediate intragroup changes, and the Mann-Whitney U test was applied to assess the differences in the change scores between groups. Results:The results showed that both groups experienced significant reductions in pain and improvements in neck ROM, but the myofascial release group showed greater pain relief and larger improvements in neck mobility compared to the self-stretching group.Selfstretching likely contributed to pain reduction and an enhanced range of motion by increasing the muscle length and modulating neuromuscular activity.In contrast, myofascial release therapy more effectively improved the neck function through passive tissue relaxation and restoration of fascial glide.Conclusion: These findings suggest that both interventions are useful for managing chronic tension-type headache, with myofascial release providing superior benefits.In addition, self-stretching can serve as a practical, self-administered adjunct intervention.Future studies should investigate the long-term effects, optimal intervention frequency, and applicability across diverse age groups and occupational populations to establish evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice.