Migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) are the two most prevalent primary headache disorders (PHDs) that may involve visual and vestibular impairments, neck pain, and postural unsteadiness. The perception of visual verticality (VV) has been studied in patients diagnosed with PHD to assess balance disorders showing varying findings. Our study aimed to assess the VV perception in patients diagnosed with PHD in comparison to healthy controls. A systematic review with meta-analysis was carried out in PubMed MEDLINE, Scopus, WOS, CINAHL, and SciELO. The Cohen standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to estimate the differences between exposed and healthy controls. Seven studies with 816 participants were included. The quality of included studies, according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS), was moderate (mean score of 5.2). Patients diagnosed with PHD showed a moderate misperception of VV as assessed with the subjective visual vertical (SVV) test (SMD = 0.530; 95% CI = 0.225, 0.836; p < 0.001). Specifically, a misperception of the SVV was found in patients with migraine (SMD = 0.369; 95% CI = 0.1, 0.638; p = 0.007) and with TTH (SMD = 1.122; 95% CI = 0.540, 1.704; p < 0.001). This review shows a misperception of VV in patients with migraine and TTH when assessed with the SVV test, being higher in patients with TTH, although the THH sample size was low.

The important role of postural stability in exercise performance has been determined by several authors. Despite this, few studies have analyzed the relationship between respiratory muscles’ strength and postural stability in athletes. For this reason, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between postural stability and respiratory muscles’ function in male soccer players. A case-control study was conducted over twenty-eight healthy men (18 soccer players; 10 non-athletes). Inspiratory muscle strength (MIP) and respiratory resistance (MVV) were obtained through a digital spirometer. Stability variables were obtained in standing position on a stabilometric platform and in open and closed eyes conditions. The area and length of the center of pressures and displacements in the X and Y range were analyzed. Pearson’s coefficient was used to measure the linear correlation between MIP, MVV and stabilometric variables. In the soccer players’ group, MIP and MIP % predictive were inversely correlated with length (r = −0.535 and r = −0.585; p < 0.05) and X range (r = −0.527 and r = −0.560; p < 0.05), whereas MVV was directly correlated with length (r = 0.606; p < 0.01) and Y range (r = 0.558; p < 0.05). Our results show that the greater the inspiratory muscle strength, the less displacement of the pressure center, while at higher respiratory rates there is greater displacement.

Background: Manual therapy (MT) and occlusal splint therapy (OST) are the most conservative therapies applied on patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The aim was to compare the efficacy of MT vs. OST in improving pain, maximal mouth opening (MMO), disability, and health related-quality of life (hr-QoL) in these patients. Methods: According to PRISMA guidelines, a meta-analysis (CRD42022343915) was conducted including randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of MT vs. OST in TMD patients, after searching in PubMed, PEDro, SCOPUS, and WOS up to March 2024. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the PEDro Scale. Cohen’s standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were the pooled effect measures calculated. Results: Nine studies, providing data from 426 patients, were included. Meta-analyses revealed that MT is more effective than OST in reducing disability (SMD = −0.81; 95% CI −1.1 to −0.54) and increasing MMO (SMD = 0.52; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.76) without differences for improving pain intensity and hr-QoL. Subgroup analyses revealed the major efficacy of OST in reducing pain in myogenic patients (SMD = 0.65; 95% CI 0.02 to 1.28). Conclusions: With caution, due to the low number of studies included, MT may be more effective than OST for improving disability and MMO in patients with TMDs.

The underlying mechanisms of non-specific chronic neck pain relapses are not clear, but they could be associated with a deficit and alteration of neck muscles propioception that play a decisive role in cervical joint position, motor control of the head, and postural stability. Numerous treatments for non-specific chronic neck pain have been described in the scientific literature. However, few studies analyze its influence on postural stability, since these alterations are not fully described, and various theories emerge about the reasons that cause it. Our primary aim is to analyze the differences in postural stability, pain, cervical disability, and the relation between them produced by a treatment based on manual therapy and another based on therapeutic exercise. The short-term and mid-term changes produced by different therapies on subjects with non-specific chronic neck pain will be studied. The sample will be randomly divided into three groups: manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and placebo. As dependent variables of the study, we will take (1) Overall Balance Index, measured through a dynamic stabilometric platform; (2) pain, based on the visual analog scale and the Pressure Pain Threshold; (3) cervical disability, through the neck disability index. The findings will be analyzed statistically considering a 5% significance level (p ≤ 0.05). Our study aims to provide knowledge about postural stability and its relationship with pain in subjects with non-specific chronic neck pain. Analyzing the results produced by different types of therapy will allow us to draw conclusions about the mechanisms, structural or central, that may elicit these alterations. Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry, RBR-2vj7sw . Registered on 28 November 2018.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anatomical and physiological interconnections between the visual system and the cervical muscular system, as well as to examine the role of the visual system in the etiology and manifestation of cervical musculoskeletal pain or discomfort. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PEDro. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO. The included study designs comprised experimental studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and pilot RCTs. Results: The literature search was conducted between January and May 2025 and yielded 51 studies across all databases. Seven experimental studies were finally included, all of which met the inclusion criteria and presented a mean methodological quality score of 5 on the PEDro methodological quality scale. The studies included data from a total of 308 participants (n = 261; 84.74% females). Subjects in the intervention group reported cervical pain or visual fatigue. Conclusions: Our results indicated a relationship between visual accommodation and increased electromyographic activity of the trapezius muscle, suggesting that accommodative stress may induce cervical muscle fatigue and pain.