Background: There is evidence that the pressure pain threshold (PPT) is reduced in children with migraine and that it varies according to age, sex, and region of the body. However, in view of the lack of consensus in the literature, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the PPT in children with migraine of both genders aged 6-12 years.
Methods: Fifty children with migraine without aura and 50 children without headache were studied. The PPT was evaluated using an algometer at nine bilateral anatomical sites.
Results: Comparison of children with migraine to children without headache did not show differences in PPT, except for the points of insertion of occipital muscles and the anterior aspect of C5-C7, where the values were lower in the children with migraine. Analysis according to gender revealed that both girls and boys had a lower PPT in at least one region evaluated.
Conclusion: Comparison of the PPTs between sites revealed that the pericranial and cervical regions showed a lower PPT than the extracephalic sites in children with migraine.
Keywords: Children; Headaches; Pericranial and Extracephalic Sites; Pressure Pain Threshold.
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