Spinal postural variability relates to biopsychosocial variables in patients with cervicogenic headache

Abstract

Patients with cervicogenic headache (CeH) showed lower spinal postural variability (SPV). In a next step, the complex character of such SPV needs to be analysed. Therefore, variables influencing SPV need to be explored. A non-randomized repeated-measure design was applied to analyse relations between biopsychosocial variables and SPV within a CeH-group (n = 18), 29-51 years, and matched control-group (n = 18), 26-52 years. Spinal postural variability, expressed by standard deviations, was deducted from 3D-Vicon motion analysis of habitual spinal postures (degrees). Interactions between SPV and pain processing, lifestyle, psychosocial characteristics were analysed. Pain processing characteristics included symptoms of central sensitization (Central Sensitization Inventory), (extra)-cephalic pressure pain thresholds (kPa/cm 2 /s). Lifestyle characteristics included sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), physical activity, screen-time, sedentary-time (hours a week), position (cm) and inclination (degrees) of the laptop (= desk-setup). Psychosocial characteristics included degree of depression, anxiety and stress (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21), impact of headache on quality of life (Headache Impact Test-6). Spinal postural variability related significantly to intrinsic (stress, anxiety, extra-cephalic pressure pain thresholds, sleep-duration) and extrinsic (desk-setup, screen-time) variables in the CeH-group. In the control-group, SPV related significantly to extra-cephalic pressure pain thresholds. Spinal postural variability related to diverse variables in the CeH-group compared to the control-group. More research is needed into a possible causal relationship and its clinical implication.