A Systematic Review of the Soft-Tissue Connections Between Neck Muscles and Dura Mater: The Myodural Bridge
Three articles on PainSci cite Palomeque-Del-Cerro 2017: 1. Massage Therapy for Tension Headaches 2. The Complete Guide to Chronic Tension Headaches 3. You Might Just Be Weird
PainSci commentary on Palomeque-Del-Cerro 2017: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
This review of 26 studies found “strong evidence” and concluded that it “proved” that there are connections between some suboccipital muscles and the dura mater, while there is “limited evidence” and “controversy” about others. They conclude: “There is a continuity of soft tissue between the cervical musculature and the cervical dura mater.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review.
OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the existence of soft tissue connections between the neck muscles and cervical dura mater.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Several studies discuss the existence of a cervical myodural bridge; however, conflicting data have been reported.
METHODS: Searches were conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases. Studies reporting original data regarding the continuity of non-post-surgical soft tissue between the cervical muscles and dura mater were reviewed. Two reviewers independently selected articles, and a third one resolved disagreements. Another two researchers extracted the methodology of the study, the anatomical findings, and evaluated the quality of the studies using Quality Appraisal for Cadaveric Studies Scale. A different third researcher resolved disagreements.
RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were included. A soft tissue connection between the rectus capitis posterior minor, the rectus capitis posterior major, and the obliquus capitis inferior muscles seems to be proved with a strong level of evidence for each one of them. Controversy exists about the possible communication between the dura mater and the upper trapezius, rhomboideus minor, serratus posterior superior, and splenius capitis by means of the ligamentum nuchae. Finally, there is limited evidence about the existence of a soft tissue connection between rectus capitis anterior muscle and the dura mater.
CONCLUSION: There is a continuity of soft tissue between the cervical musculature and the cervical dura mater; this might have physiological, pathophysiological, and therapeutic implications, and going some way to explaining the effect of some therapies in craniocervical disorders.
related content
- “The cervical myodural bridge, a review of literature and clinical implications,” Dennis E Enix, Frank Scali, and Matthew E Pontell, Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2014.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.
- Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.
- No effect of creatine monohydrate supplementation on inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Cornish 2018 Nutr Res.
- The CANBACK trial: a randomised, controlled clinical trial of oral cannabidiol for people presenting to the emergency department with acute low back pain. Bebee 2021 Med J Aust.
- Relationships Between Sleep Quality and Pain-Related Factors for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: Tests of Reciprocal and Time of Day Effects. Gerhart 2017 Ann Behav Med.