Combine Effect of Myofascial Release and Ocular Muscle Exercise for Eye Strain Headache in University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i6.1545Keywords:
Asthenopia, Eyestrain, Myopia, Myofascial Release, Neck Isometrics Contraction, Oculomotor Muscles Exercise, Sternocleidomastoid Muscle, Trapizus MuscleAbstract
Background: Eyestrain headache commonly found in myopia patients, caused by exaggerated workload or strained due to the prolong activities which required highly focusing, such as reading and using digital gadgets. Symptom includes peri-orbital pain, forehead heaviness, fuzzy or cloudy vision, and dry eyes. Objective: To determine the combine effect of myofascial release in eyestrain headache participants using ocular muscle exercises and to find the length of sternocleidomastoid and upper trapizus muscle in myopic individual after the treatment. Methods: An experimental study was conducted at Abasyn University, Peshawar, followed by the inclusion criteria. A total of 36 participants between 20 to 30 years of age were included. We equally divided the participants into two groups A (experimental) and group B (control). Out of 36 participants 8 (44.4%) were male and 14 (77.8%) were female in the experimental group while 10 (55.6%) male and 8(22.2%) were female in the control groups, having mild to moderate myopia, unilateral or bilateral headaches, and peri-orbital pain. The study was carried out for three weeks periods, with three sessions each week of the treatment. Computer vision syndrome questionnaire was filled before and after completing their session. For data analyses SPSS version 25 was used. Results: The mean age in the experimental group were 1.38 years while control group were 1.44 years respectively. Their mean visual acuity in group A 9(50.0%) and group B 15(83.3%) was mild while in group A 9(50.0%) and groups B 3(16.7%) were moderately affected. A significant reduction was noticed in eyestrain headache individuals by using myofascial release techniques on the neck muscles (sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius) and muscles lengthening were significantly increased after an exercise which enhances muscle flexibility and elasticity. A mixed ANOVA test was performed between the groups. Conclusion: The study's findings indicate that myofascial release therapy and ocular muscle training significantly reduced headaches caused by eyestrain and increased the length of the neck's sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles.
Downloads
References
Zhang, J. H., Ramke, J., Mwangi, N., Furtado, J., Yasmin, S., Bascaran, C., ... & Burton, M. J. (2020). Global eye health and the sustainable development goals: protocol for a scoping review. BMJ open, 10(3), e035789.
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/3/e035789.abstract
Laamerad, P., Guitton, D., & Pack, C. C. (2020). Eye movements shape visual learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(14), 8203-8211.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1913851117
Artal, P. (2014). Optics of the eye and its impact in vision: A tutorial. Advances in Optics and Photonics, 6(3), 340.
https://doi.org/10.1364/aop.6.000340
Saxena, R., Vashist, P., & Menon, V. (2013). Is myopia a public health problem in India? Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 38(2), 83.
https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.112436
Khan, H. Y., Adnan, M., Basit, S. A., Khan, S., Gul, S., Haroon, I., Gull, N., & Khan, N. (2025). Evaluation of cervical proprioception and its association with disability in neck pain: A cross sectional study. Indus Journal of Bioscience Research, 3(5), 660-664.
https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i5.1424
Nitzan, I., Akavian, I., Einan-Lifshitz, A., Shemer, A., Afek, A., & Peled, A. (2023). The definition-dependent nature of myopia prevalence: A nationwide study of 1.5 million adolescents. Ophthalmic Epidemiology, 30(5), 515-522.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2022.2159984
Baird, P. N., Saw, S., Lanca, C., Guggenheim, J. A., Smith III, E. L., Zhou, X., Matsui, K., Wu, P., Sankaridurg, P., Chia, A., Rosman, M., Lamoureux, E. L., Man, R., & He, M. (2020). Myopia. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 6(1).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-020-00231-4
Khan, H. Y., Haider Khan, S., Gillani, A., Gillani, A., Yousaf, M., Sarah Qandeel, H., & Daud, M. (2024). Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of clinical physiotherapists towards chronic back pain. National Journal of Life and Health Sciences, 3(1), 20-24.
https://doi.org/10.62746/njlhs.v3n1.21
Haider, I., Osama, M., Gul, N., & Khattak, A. R. (2023). Impact of screen time on digital eye strain and visual acuity among medical students in Peshawar, Pakistan. Khyber Medical University Journal, 15(4), 229-34.
https://doi.org/10.35845/kmuj.2023.23402
Hirzle, T., Cordts, M., Rukzio, E., & Bulling, A. (2020). A survey of digital eye strain in gaze-based interactive systems. ACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3379155.3391313
Wajuihian, S. O. (2024). Exploring correlations between headaches and refractive errors in an optometry clinic sample. British and Irish Orthoptic Journal, 20(1), 1-15.
https://doi.org/10.22599/bioj.313
Kim, G., Cho, S., Kim, J., Yoon, S., Kang, J., & Kim, S. Y. (2023). Relationship between visual display terminal working hours and headache/eyestrain in Korean wage workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The sixth Korean working conditions survey. Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 35(1).
https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2023.35.e8
Kaur, K., Gurnani, B., Nayak, S., Deori, N., Kaur, S., Jethani, J., Singh, D., Agarkar, S., Hussaindeen, J. R., Sukhija, J., & Mishra, D. (2022). Digital eye strain- A comprehensive review. Ophthalmology and Therapy, 11(5), 1655-1680.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-022-00540-9
Kaur, K., Gurnani, B., Nayak, S., Deori, N., Kaur, S., Jethani, J., Singh, D., Agarkar, S., Hussaindeen, J. R., Sukhija, J., & Mishra, D. (2022). Digital eye strain- A comprehensive review. Ophthalmology and Therapy, 11(5), 1655-1680.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40123-022-00540-9
Rodríguez-Huguet, M., Rodríguez-Almagro, D., Rodríguez-Huguet, P., Martín-Valero, R., & Lomas-Vega, R. (2020). Treatment of neck pain with Myofascial therapies: A single blind randomized controlled trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 43(2), 160-170.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2019.12.001
Lu, Z., Zou, H., Zhao, P., Wang, J., & Wang, R. (2024). Myofascial release for the treatment of tension-type, Cervicogenic headache or migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Research and Management, 2024, 1-11.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/2042069
Gauns, S. V., & Gurudut, P. V. (2018). A randomized controlled trial to study the effect of gross myofascial release on mechanical neck pain referred to upper limb. International journal of health sciences, 12(5), 51.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6124822/
Kurunhikattil, P. K. (2016). Role of eye exercises in improving performance of professionals working with computers. Journal of Indian System of Medicine, 4(3), 145-148.
Bohunicky, S., Rutherford, L., Harrison, K., Malone, Q., Glazebrook, C. M., & Scribbans, T. D. (2024). Immediate effects of myofascial release to the pectoral fascia on posture, range of motion, and muscle excitation: A crossover randomized clinical trial. Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 32(5), 495-505.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2024.2316414
Alshami, A. M., & Alhassany, H. A. (2020). Girth, strength, and flexibility of the calf muscle in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A case–control study. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 15(3), 197-202.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Indus Journal of Bioscience Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
