Differential effectiveness of electromyograph feedback, verbal relaxation instructions, and medication placebo with tension headaches.

27 16-64 yr old Ss with chronic tension headaches were divided into 3 groups. Nine were assigned to auditory EMG feedback, 9 to progressive relaxation instructions, and 9 to placebo treatment. Ss came for 2 wks of pre- and posttreatment assessment, with 4 wks of intervening treatment. Measures were taken on headache frequency, intensity and duration, frontalis EMG recordings, medication intake, Nowicki-Strickland Loss of Control Scale, and the Psychosomatic Checklist. Comparison of postassessment and 4-mo follow-up data indicate that biofeedback and verbal relaxation instructions were equally superior to the medicine placebo on all measured variables in the direction of clinical improvement, except for shifts in locus of control. All groups experienced equally significant shifts toward internality. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)