SynthesisCephalalgia : an international journal of headache2019
The diagnostic accuracy of headache measurement instruments: A systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on headaches associated with musculoskeletal symptoms.
Synthesis in Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between posttraumatic stress disorder and migraine: A systematic review.Headache · 2026Pooled it
- Validation studies on migraine diagnostic tools for use in nonclinical settings: a systematic review.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · 2023Pooled it
- Point of care ultrasonography in physical therapists' clinical practice: a clinical perspective.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2025Review
- Fibromyalgia severity and symptoms are associated with the disorders of gut-brain interaction.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Observational
- Diagnostics and Management of Pediatric Headache: An Exploratory Study among Dutch Physical Therapists.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Investigating the association between the symptoms of women with Fibromyalgia, Digestive function, and markers of the microbiota of the Gastrointestinal Tract (The FIDGIT Study): study protocol.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- Guidelines of the International Headache Society for Clinic-Based Headache Registries, 1Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache · 2022Article
- Patient-Reported Outcome Measurements in Temporomandibular Disorders and Headaches: Summary of Measurement Properties and Applicability.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Clinical Reasoning Behind Non-Pharmacological Interventions for the Management of Headaches: A Narrative Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Can physical testing be used to distinguish between migraine and cervicogenic headache sufferers? A protocol for a systematic review.BMJ open · 2019Article
- The HUNT4 study: the validity of questionnaire-based diagnoses.The journal of headache and pain · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo systematically review the available literature on the diagnostic accuracy of questionnaires and measurement instruments for headaches associated with musculoskeletal symptoms.
designArticles were eligible for inclusion when the diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity/specificity) was established for measurement instruments for headaches associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in an adult population. The databases searched were PubMed (1966-2018), Cochrane (1898-2018) and Cinahl (1988-2018). Methodological quality was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool (QUADAS-2) and COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist for criterion validity. When possible, a meta-analysis was performed. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) recommendations were applied to establish the level of evidence per measurement instrument.
resultsFrom 3450 articles identified, 31 articles were included in this review. Eleven measurement instruments for migraine were identified, of which the ID-Migraine is recommended with a moderate level of evidence and a pooled sensitivity of 0.87 (95% CI: 0.85-0.89) and specificity of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.72-0.78). Six measurement instruments examined both migraine and tension-type headache and only the Headache Screening Questionnaire - Dutch version has a moderate level of evidence with a sensitivity of 0.69 (95% CI 0.55-0.80) and specificity of 0.90 (95% CI 0.77-0.96) for migraine, and a sensitivity of 0.36 (95% CI 0.21-0.54) and specificity of 0.86 (95% CI 0.74-0.92) for tension-type headache. For cervicogenic headache, only the cervical flexion rotation test was identified and had a very low level of evidence with a pooled sensitivity of 0.83 (95% CI 0.72-0.94) and specificity of 0.82 (95% CI 0.73-0.91). DISCUSSION: The current review is the first to establish an overview of the diagnostic accuracy of measurement instruments for headaches associated with musculoskeletal factors. However, as most measurement instruments were validated in one study, pooling was not always possible. Risk of bias was a serious problem for most studies, decreasing the level of evidence. More research is needed to enhance the level of evidence for existing measurement instruments for multiple headaches.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.