Ocular Exercises as a Non Conventional Approach towards Tension-type Headache: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Tension-type Headaches (TTH) are the most prevalent type of headache, with upto 78% of people experiencing them at some point in their lives. In comparison to migraine, TTH is more incapacitating and results in more lost workdays. TTH’s multifactorial aetiology is thought to involve both, hereditary and environmental elements. There are three types of TTH-episodic, chronic, and frequent episodic. Patients describe their headache as tightness around the head, pressing, and dull. Studies on the impact of eye movement have been conducted. Only top-notch experimental trials were applied in the study. Physiotherapy is one of the most effective but at the same time, not much preferred by people due to lack of awareness. By the present review, it would be helpful, as people will start to use physiotherapy approaches. A moderate risk of bias was detected in the quality critical appraisal. With the information at hand, only a narrative description could be included. The present research only identified a few low quality studies, but its results imply that, ocular exercises can effectively alleviate primary headache and symptoms. More rigorous methodological standards and high quality Randomised Control Study (RCTs) are needed to validate and further understanding of the effects of organised workouts aiming to reduce pain intensity and frequency, symptoms, and medication use, among other things, in the treatment of primary headaches.

Keywords

• eyeball movement
• outcome measure
• physiotherapy rehabilitation