Article
Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation and of Relaxation Combined With Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Tension Headache
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
(1990)
Abstract
Sixty-six tension headache patients were randomly assigned to one of four conditions for 8 weeks: (a) progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) alone; (b) PMR plus cognitive therapy (PMR + Cog); (c) pseudomedication, a credible attention-placebo control; or (d) continued headache monitoring. A comparison of overall headache activity (headache index), derived from a daily headache diary, for 4 weeks before treatment to 4 weeks after treatment revealed that active treatment (PMR and PMR + Cog) was superior to either control condition. Moreover, level of headache medication consumption decreased significantly for the active treatment groups. Although headache-index comparisons of the two active treatments showed no advantage for adding cognitive therapy to PMR, a measure of clinically significant change showed a trend for PMR + Cog to be superior to PMR alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Disciplines
Publication Date
April 1, 1990
DOI
10.1037/0022-006X.58.2.210
Citation Information
Edward B. Blanchard, Kenneth A. Appelbaum, Cynthia L. Radnitz, Denise Michultka, et al.. "Placebo-Controlled Evaluation of Abbreviated Progressive Muscle Relaxation and of Relaxation Combined With Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment of Tension Headache" Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Vol. 58 Iss. 2 (1990) p. 210 - 215 ISSN: 0022-006X Available at: http://works.bepress.com/joel-hillhouse/27/