Hope for millions of headache sufferers as scientists discover new cause of mystery ailment

Common headaches affecting two-thirds of Americans could be caused by inflammation in the neck, a study suggests. 

Researchers in Germany had 50 adults from ages 20 to 31, about half of whom suffered from tension headaches, undergo MRI scans to find the source of their pain. 

They found that patients with the ailment had higher levels of T2 signals in the trapezius muscles, which stretch over the back of the neck and shoulders and up the neck.

These signals fire when certain muscles are activated, such as through inflammation. These higher levels were seen on days when patients suffered headaches and neck pain, meaning that the neck muscles were activated.

This suggests that inflammation in the neck – caused by poor posture, injury, and stress – could be linked to tension headaches. Up until this point, researchers were still baffled by the cause of tension headaches, blaming them on stress, genetics, and the environment.

Researchers believe this finding could lead to new treatments targeted at the neck as a replacement for commonplace drugs. 

The researchers noted that two out of three Americans suffer from tension headaches

Dr Nico Sollmann, lead study author and radiology resident at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, said: ‘Our imaging approach provides first objective evidence for the very frequent involvement of the neck muscles in primary headaches, such as neck pain in migraine or tension-type headache, using the ability to quantify subtle inflammation within muscles.’

The researchers evaluated 50 adults ranging from ages 20 to 31. Most of the participants were women. Of the 50, 16 had tension headaches, and 12 suffered from tension headaches plus migraine episodes. The remaining 22 were put in a healthy control group. 

All participants underwent MRI scans of their trapezius muscles to look at their T2 levels. The researchers found that on the days the participants suffered headaches and neck pain, they had greater T2 levels, suggesting those muscles had been activated as a result of inflammation. 

Participants with tension headaches and migraine episodes had the highest T2 levels.  

‘The quantified inflammatory changes of neck muscles significantly correlate with the number of days lived with headache and the presence of subjectively perceived neck pain,’ Dr. Sollmann said. 

Tension headaches occur when the neck and scalp muscles tense up or contract. It usually causes mild to moderate pain that’s often described as feeling like a band tightening around the head.

The pain can also be dull or aching and result in tenderness in the neck, scalp, and shoulders. 

The researchers noted that two out of every three Americans suffer from tension headaches.

Most of them have episodic tension-type headaches, which last anywhere from 30 minutes to a week. 

Other patients may have chronic tension-type headaches, which occur 15 or more days out of the month for at least three months, according to the Mayo Clinic.  

A migraine is a type of headache that causes severe, throbbing pain or pulsing, usually on one side of the head. These can last for hours or even days.

The American Migraine Foundation estimates that one in 10 Americans – 39 million – live with migraines. About 28 million are women and girls, as females are at least three times more likely to suffer from migraines than males. 

Some research suggests that decreased estrogen, which usually happens when a woman has her period, could be to blame. 

Symptoms vary, but migraines are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light. 

The researchers noted that the findings may lead to targeted treatments aimed at reducing neck inflammation, which could cut out the need for prescription headache medication.

‘Our findings support the role of neck muscles in the pathophysiology of primary headaches,’ Dr. Sollmann said. ‘Therefore, treatments that target the neck muscles could lead to a simultaneous relief of neck pain, as well as headache.’

The study was presented Wednesday at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago.